The Trek

The Trek refers to the Labour struggle of 1941 in which railway workers marched from Loco workshop, Yaba, through the Marina, Lagos, to the Race Course in protest against hourly system and poor working condition. As protesting trekkers advanced, police diverted them away from the residence of the governor to Race Course. There the governor, Sir Bernard Boudillon met them and listened to their stories. From 1 October 1941, the hourly system of pay calculation was abolished and workers who suffered losses of income were reimbursed with effect from 1931. This singular demonstration, popularly styled the “Great Trek” brought trade unionism to public attention.

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