President of the Antigua and Barbuda Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU), Bernard De Nully, used Tuesday’s VC Bird Day ceremony to issue a direct appeal to Cabinet members to raise the minimum pension, declaring that the current $500 monthly payment is not enough for retirees to survive.
Standing before dignitaries, including the Governor General and Prime Minister, De Nully said the long-established Social Security system was designed to guarantee dignity for older citizens but now needs meaningful adjustment.
Addressing the government officials present, he said, “It is time to move beyond the $500. A minimum. Is that livable? The answer is no.” He told supporters he believed the government could act, adding, “We can do better. And we will do better, for I have faith in my leaders. For we are one. We are workers.”
De Nully framed the pension issue within the broader legacy of the labour movement, noting that the Antigua Trades and Labour Union and the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party were built on policies that protected the most vulnerable. He reminded attendees that for decades the union fought to advance the interests of both youth and the elderly.
“Our institutions… have always acted to protect and to advance the interests of these two groups—the Utes and the elderly,” he said, arguing that today’s leaders must preserve that legacy.
He pointed to four landmark reforms championed by the labour movement over nearly half a century: the 1967 Constitution, the 1974 creation of the Social Security system, the 1978 Medical Benefits Scheme, and the 1994 Education Levy. According to De Nully, each law fundamentally improved life for working families, retirees and the nation’s future generations.
Speaking on Social Security’s original purpose, he reminded the audience, “This is not a tax. It is a forced system of saving. An investment that is returned to the worker upon their retirement, ensuring that the elderly are assured a livable income.”
He also recalled the early struggle for worker representation, tracing the union’s political roots and the decades-long mission to secure protections for ordinary people. Reflecting on that history, he said “leadership really matters,” arguing that every era of progress was tied to bold decisions made by the movement’s leaders.
De Nully invoked the words of former Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, noting that Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. was described as “unmatched on parallel and unsurpassed” in his impact on Antigua and Barbuda. He urged the current generation of union members to remain focused on protecting workers’ rights and strengthening the institutions that guarantee fairness in employment.
He closed with a pledge to continue building the union in the spirit of its founders: “I pledge, as your seventh president, to stand in the shoes of this great man and to make the AT&LU even stronger in the years to come.” De Nully then invited the audience to join him in repeating the union’s motto: “The unity of labor is the salvation of our country.”
His appeal for a pension increase stood out as one of the strongest social-protection messages delivered during the ceremony marking the birthday of Antigua and Barbuda’s first National Hero, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr.
