As the Antigua and Barbuda Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) marked its 75th year of advocating for working people, union president Bernard De Nully used the platform of a joint Labour Day rally with the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party to center a critical demand: pension systems must deliver real, livable retirement benefits that guarantee long-term financial security for former workers.
De Nully pushed back against the common treatment of pensions as an afterthought or bureaucratic formality, arguing that after decades of dedicated service to workplaces across Antigua and Barbuda, retirees deserve a meaningful safety net that supports their quality of life. For him, the conversation around pensions is never just about receiving regular checks — it is about ensuring benefits keep pace with rising cost of living, and allow retired workers to retain a dignified, reasonable standard of living that matches their years of contribution.
The call for livable pensions was the centerpiece of a broader address focused on advancing workers’ rights and social welfare across all sectors of the national economy. De Nully used the 75th anniversary milestone to reaffirm the union’s core mission of standing up for working people, emphasizing that under his leadership, the AT&LU will not back down from pushing for tangible improvements to workplace conditions and employee benefits.
“The AT&LU will fight for you until results are achieved,” De Nully told assembled rally attendees.
He also signaled a shift toward a more aggressive, results-focused approach to advocacy, noting that the union is prepared to leverage stronger collective action when negotiations and public appeals fail to deliver progress. “All this talk… is finished. It is time for action,” he said.
De Nully’s demand comes as workers and labor organizers across Antigua and Barbuda continue to advance a wider public conversation about fair wages, safe working conditions, and long-term financial stability that supports working people from onboarding through retirement.