Labour Day (Trinidad and Tobago)

Labour Day is a public holiday in Trinidad and Tobago, and it is observed on June 19 each year.

Labour Day commemorates the day of the Butler Oilfield Riots which took place in 1937. Prior to the riots, the relationship between the workers and the employers in Trinidad and Tobago were becoming problematic. Issues in the working places like racism, worker abuse, low wages, and many other factors put workers into a very low standard of living, which created the base driving people to change.

Tubal Uriah Butler and several other leaders initiated a series of riots and strikes in the 20^th century. On June 19, 1937, Butler organized another strike, and workers engaged in a sit-down strike with downing tools. When police attempted to arrest Butler while he was giving a speech to workers, his followers resisted his arrest, which led to the bloody riots.

The incident quickly triggered widespread unrest and strikes in the oilfields and other industries in the following years in Trinidad and Tobago.

Butler was arrested and imprisoned from September 1937 to May 1939. During World War II, he was re-arrested in September 1939 and released from prison when the war was over.

The following is the list of Labour Day in Trinidad and Tobago from 2022 to 2026.