by TREVOR YEARWOOD

THE SPECTRE of an islandwide strike next Wednesday has stirred memories of industrial unrest that saw thousands of workers marching in the streets of Bridgetown in 1981 and 1991.

Barbados was hit by a wave of protests that included the closure of several businesses during October and November, 1991.

Taken together, the biggest protests against the Erskine Sandiford administration, organised by the Coalition of Trade Unions and Staff Associations, brought more than 35 000 people into Bridgetown.

A lot of local business activity ground to a halt during these protests, with government departments and private offices reduced to skeleton staffs.

The marches and demonstrations were triggered by Sir Lloyd Sandiford's economic austerity measures, including massive layoffs in the Public Service and an eight per cent across-the-board pay cut.

The coalition, chaired by Sir Roy Trotman, was demanding restoration of the eight per cent in pay, payment of all monies due in lieu of notice, the return to a full work week, a reduction of the Stabilisation Tax and a meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to discuss alternative strategies to the austerity package.

Another huge protest took place January 19, 1981, over the dismissal from the Barbados Telephone Company of David Giles, a technician and union delegate, who had posted a controversial notice on the company's notice board about negotiations between the utility company and the union.

As many as 5 000 people, many of them bearing placards, marched through The City on their way to the Windsor Lodge headquarters of the telephone company, demanding Giles' reinstatement.

Public transportation was one of the areas hard hit. None of the Transport Board's vehicles left the depots as bus crews joined the strike.

Work at the Bridgetown Port was also affected, with a number of cargo ships having to be diverted and others lying idle.

Schools were also hard hit by absenteeism, in an atmosphere where commuters were uncertain about the availability of public transportation.

The action on what was popularly known as "D-Day" brought to a climax weeks of strike action by the 500-odd employees of the Telephone Company.

After about a month of strike action, Giles returned to work, a deal having been worked out by the union, the telephone company and Minister of Labour (Don Blackman).

Giles, who went on to become president of the union, said a long time later: ". . . After more than 20 years, I'm still not certain why I was being dismissed."