Emmanuel Christopher Loblack

O.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(August 29, 1898- June 3, 1995) was a Dominican

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

ist and politician.

Trade union

Loblack was raised in the community of Grand Bay, Dominica. He was a mason and builder by trade; he was employed by the Public Works Department in 1939, and this job would be the impetus that would begin his long political career. In 1939, Loblack met with London's

Moyne Commission The Report of West India Royal Commission, also known as The Moyne Report, was published fully in 1945 and exposed the poor living conditions in Britain's Caribbean colonies. Following the British West Indian labour unrest of 1934–1939, the Imperi ...

, who were visiting the island to investigate conditions in Dominica. He, along with several other people, appeared before the commission and took its members to view areas of

Roseau Roseau ( Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau ...

. He made complaints about wage rates and the working conditions that

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a person ( farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and managemen ...

s were working in. One member of the commission, Lord Citrine, encouraged the establishment of a trade union, which he had also suggested done in other territories. On January 11, 1945, Loblack, with the assistance of Austin Winston and Ralph Nicholls, launched the ''

Dominica Trade Union The Dominica Trade Union (DTU) is a trade union in Dominica. Founded in 1945 by Emmanuel Christopher Loblack, the DTU has declined from a membership of 8000 down to several hundred members. It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Co ...

''. The union grew quickly, largely through changing work hours of most Dominicans from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. It soon grew to 26 branches around the island. As leader of the Trade Union, Loblack, represented Dominica in Britain at the International Confederation of Trade Unions in 1949. It was at this meeting that Loblack successfully lobbied for electricity, bridges, and roads, which were all needed in many parts of the country.

Political career

In May 1955, with longtime Dominican political activist Phyllis Shand Allfrey, he created the '' Dominica Labour Party''. However, at the same time, the visions of new Trade Union members and Loblack began to differ, and in 1957 he left. His perseverance and commitment towards the Dominica Labour Party garnered him a nominated seat in the legislative council when the Dominica Labour Party won the 1961 general elections. However, with the expulsion of co-founder of the party Phyllis Shand Allfrey, in September 1962 Loblack removed himself from the party. In 1968, with much political clout he, along with Edward Scobie,

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Mary Eugenia Charles Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, (15 May 1919 – 6 September 2005) was a Dominican politician who was Prime Minister of Dominica from 21 July 1980 until 14 June 1995. The first female lawyer in Dominica, she was Dominica's first, and to date only, fe ...

, and several others founded the ''

Dominica Freedom Party The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) is a conservative political party in Dominica. It shares much of the same socially and economically conservative principles as the Conservative Party in the UK. The party has been led by Bernard Hurtault since 2 ...

'', and were known as Freedomites.

Late career and death

For the final 27 years of his life, Loblack championed for the success of the Dominica Freedom Party. He received a

Meritorious Service Award The awards and decorations of Civil Air Patrol are "designed to recognize heroism, service, and program achievements" of members of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) of the United States of America. The CAP is the official auxiliary of the United States Air ...

from the State and a

Certificate of Commendation Certificate may refer to: * Birth certificate * Marriage certificate * Death certificate * Gift certificate * Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something * Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial ...

from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

. With his death Dominica also recognized his outstanding achievements and Loblack was given a state funeral on June 10, 1995. To honour his achievements and vision, the government of Dominica renamed Dominica's Roseau East Bridge to the E.C. Loblack Bridge.

References

Article on trade unions in DominicaLennox Honychurch's A-to-Z of Dominica's Heritage: Loblack, Emmanuel, ChristopherPhyllis Shand Allfrey: A Caribbean Life
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loblack, Emmanuel Christopher Trade unionists 1898 births 1995 deaths People from Saint Patrick Parish, Dominica Dominica Labour Party politicians Dominica Freedom Party politicians