As Bermuda observes Labour Day 2026, we pause to recognise and give thanks for the women and men whose labour — seen and unseen, unionised and non-unionised, local and expatriate — helps sustain the life of our community.

Labour Day is more than a public holiday. It is an opportunity to remember the dignity of work, the value of every person who contributes to our society, and our shared responsibility to ensure that Bermuda’s prosperity is experienced with greater equity and fairness. It also reminds us of those who cannot fully participate in meaningful work and calls us to justice.

For some, Labour Day is marked by marching in solidarity with fellow workers and raising voices for justice, dignity, fair treatment and better conditions. For others, it is a welcome day away from the demands of employment — a time to rest, spend time with family and friends, worship, enjoy our community and give thanks. Both expressions are meaningful.

The march reminds us that progress has often been achieved because working people stood together and insisted that their dignity mattered. Rest reminds us that workers are human beings before they are employees: families need time together, bodies and minds need renewal, and communities are strengthened when people can simply be present with one another.

As a bishop and as a church, we offer our gratitude to all who labour for the good of Bermuda: those who rise early and work late; those whose contributions are highly visible and those who work quietly behind the scenes.

We give thanks for caregivers, educators, healthcare workers, public servants, hospitality workers, tradespeople, farmers, transport workers, cleaners, business owners and the countless others whose work makes daily life possible.

To every worker — whether you belong to a union or not, whether you were born in Bermuda or came here from another country, and whether your work is professional, technical, manual, domestic, seasonal, entrepreneurial, voluntary or otherwise — we say: your contribution matters.

The Christian tradition teaches that every human being bears the image and likeness of God. Therefore, a worker’s dignity cannot be measured by immigration status, job title, salary, nationality, social standing or union membership. We can debate immigration, employment policy, wages, union representation, business regulation and Bermuda’s economic future, while still refusing to dehumanise one another.

Work is not simply an economic activity; it can be a participation in God’s creative purposes. This challenges us to remember the unemployed and underemployed, those who labour under duress, low-paid workers, working people without shelter, unpaid carers and all whose contributions remain invisible or undervalued. We must also remember victims of exploitation, forced labour, human trafficking and modern forms of slavery, including those who experience cruelty, indifference or unequal treatment in Bermuda.

Justice requires that we resist dividing workers into categories of greater and lesser worth and that we stand with those who are powerless in their working lives.

On this Labour Day, let us give thanks to God and recommit ourselves to serving our neighbours and our community. Let us recognise both visible and unseen contributions, support peaceful advocacy for workers’ rights, and honour those who use this day for rest, family, worship, service and renewal.

Let employers recommit themselves to fairness, respect and responsible stewardship. Let workers uphold professionalism, integrity and solidarity. Let unions remain constructive voices for justice and the common good. Let government listen carefully to working people, families and businesses. Let all of us resist attitudes that turn neighbour against neighbour, recognise injustices that exclude or marginalise, and seek solutions that train, build up and encourage.

Bermuda’s strength is found not merely in economic statistics, but in people — in the relationships we build, families we nurture, communities we sustain and work we do for one another.

The Prophet Micah asks: “What does the Lord require of you? “ The answer is clear: “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

May this Labour Day be a day of thanksgiving for work, solidarity with workers, rest for those who need it, encouragement for those who struggle, and renewed commitment to equity and fairness.

May God bless the workers of Bermuda, and all whose often-unseen labour makes family, community and country possible.

Happy Labour Day, Bermuda.

• The Right Reverend Nicholas Dill is the Anglican Bishop of Bermuda