Earle Seaton’s career as an international lawyer took him from his native Bermuda to East Africa, the United States and the hallowed halls of the United Nations. He possessed sterling academic credentials, having earned, on top of his law degree, a PhD in International Relations from the University of Southern California.
With his appointment in 1972 as Puisne Judge, he became Bermuda’s first black Supreme Court judge, but he made his greatest contribution in Tanzania, where he opened a legal practice straight out of law school and rose to prominence as that country’s legal adviser and United Nations representative.
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A strike by Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) workers for union recognition at the Bermuda Electric Light Company (BELCO) escalated into a full-scale riot. The strike began on January 19, and tensions rose as the days passed with no resolution in sight.
The violence that broke out on February 2 saw police clash with striking workers. Police officer Ian Davies sustained serious injuries, from which he never fully recovered. Several union leaders and members, including physician Dr. Barbara Ball, were charged with a string of offences. Ball, Samuel Samuels and Gary Caisey were acquitted, while Kenneth Paul, George DeSilva, Kervin Ratteray and Vivian Ming were found guilty and received 12-month jail sentences. Paul’s conviction was overturned on appeal after four months, while DeSilva, Ratteray and Ming were granted amnesty, and walked free from jail after six months.
The strike pitted primarily Black Bermudian workers against the powerful white merchants who ran BELCO’s board. A recognition ballot was eventually held, which the BIU lost. But other companies moved quickly to hold recognition ballots sought by the BIU. Historians agree the strike was a turning point for trade unionism in Bermuda. Although the BIU lost the battle at BELCO, it had won the war.
Read Larry Burchall’s Bernews column about that fateful day.
|  Police and striking Belco workers in 1965.
Photo courtesy The Royal Gazette
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