British Honduras Workers and Tradesmen's Union, the first central
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
organization in the Central American country
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...
. Founded in 1939 by
Antonio Soberanis Gómez
Antonio Soberanis Gómez ( – ) was an activist in the Belizean labour movement. He found the Labour and Unemployed Association in 1934 to demand poverty relief work and a minimum wage. He was jailed for sedition in 1935.
Personal life
Anton ...
. Registered as a legal trade union in 1943. Shortly thereafter it changed its name to General Workers Union (GWU).
GWU played an important role in the
anticolonial movement. It reached its peak in 1955. Thereafter it declined rapidly.
Trade unions in Belize
Politics of British Honduras
Trade unions established in 1939
1939 establishments in British Honduras
British Honduras in World War II
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