AT&LU and ABLP Reaffirm Longstanding Commitment to Youth and Elderly Welfare

The Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) used Tuesday’s V.C. Bird Day wreath-laying ceremony to highlight the deep-rooted commitment shared by the AT&LU and the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) to improving the lives of young people and the elderly—two groups the union says have always been central to their mission.

Addressing the gathering at the Bust of Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, AT&LU President Bernard de Nully said the historic partnership between the union and its political offspring, the ABLP, has produced generations of transformative policies that continue to shape national development.

“Our leaders’ record of policy initiatives is proof of this claim,” de Nully said. “It is a value deeply embedded in the psyche of both institutions which we cherish—the AT&LU and its daughter organization, the ABLP, led today by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.”

De Nully pointed to four landmark legislative achievements that, over several decades, fundamentally reshaped Antigua and Barbuda and strengthened protections for both the nation’s youth and its senior citizens.

The first, he noted, was the 1967 Constitution, which transferred domestic decision-making authority from London to St. John’s. This constitutional shift, he said, empowered Sir Vere Cornwall Bird to overturn centuries of colonial practice and chart an independent path for the country’s governance.

The second major development was the 1974 legislation establishing the Social Security System, designed to provide financial support and greater material security for the elderly. While the ABLP had earlier conceptualized the initiative, de Nully acknowledged that it was implemented under the PLM administration following the 1971 election cycle.

The 1978 Medical Benefits Scheme Act, he continued, marked the third milestone—creating a national programme that ensured citizens suffering from a range of illnesses could access medical care and medication at little to no cost. This, he said, revolutionized healthcare access for ordinary Antiguans and Barbudans.

Finally, de Nully highlighted the 1994 Education Levy Act as the fourth transformative measure. He described the levy as a visionary tool that continues to fund key aspects of youth development—from textbooks and expanded school facilities to scholarships, grants, and tertiary education loans. The model has since attracted the attention of international organizations as an innovative financing mechanism for developing countries.

De Nully said these legislative achievements reflect the AT&LU and ABLP’s enduring belief that a strong society is built by investing in its youngest minds and protecting its elders.