Retired trade unionist Audley Gayle dies
Veteran trade unionist Audley Gayle died last Tuesday at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in Kingston after a long illness. He was 82.
Gayle, who fought a long battle with diabetes, was admitted to the hospital on January 11 on the advice of his doctor and suffered a heart failure on January 14.
NWU president, Vincent Morrison, has expressed the union’s deepest condolences to Gayle’s family and friends and hailed his contribution to Jamaica’s trade union movement.
“He was among that band of trade union leaders in the 1950s/1960s who laid the platform for the establishment of the modern trade union movement today,” Morrison said of Gayle.
“He stood shoulder to shoulder with the early trade union leaders such as Thossy Kelly, Florizel Glasspole, Noel ‘Crab’ Nethersole, V Bancroft Edwards, Roy Thompson and later Michael Manley [and] Erwin Jones, among others who pioneered the formation of the National Workers’ Union in 1952,” said Morrison.
Describing Gayle as “an outstanding and committed trade union leader”, Morrison highlighted Gayle’s involvement in negotiating a number of collective labour agreements at Cable & Wireless, Aeronautical Telecommunications, and at other well-established companies across Jamaica.
Morrison also noted Gayle’s involvement in the development of the union’s newspaper – NWU News – which he edited from 1975 to 1990 when he retired, as well as his work at the Trade Union Education Institute (now the Hugh Lawson Shearer Centre) and his “excellent service” as a member of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, which he took up after his retirement.
“Brother Gayle, in his time, was easily the leading trade union educator, not only in Jamaica, but throughout the wider Caribbean,” said Morrison.
Gayle joined the staff of the NWU as an organiser in 1952 and worked mainly in the field of public utilities. He was promoted to the post of negotiating officer in 1960. Between 1969 and 1984 he served as education officer, after which he held the post of education director from 1984 to 1990.
In 1981, he was elected assistant general secretary of the union and three years later was promoted to assistant island supervisor with responsibility for membership training and education.
Throughout his decorated career, Gayle represented the NWU at numerous seminars across the world and, in addition to lecturing at the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies, wrote seven booklets on industrial relations and related subjects.
They are: From Two Rooms to Four Storey: History of the National Workers Union; Struggles of the Jamaican Workers; The Workers’ Struggles in the Sugar Industry; Delegates’ Handbook; Situation Manual for Staff; What the Law Says: A Summary of the Employment, Termination and Redundancy Act and the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act; and a summary of Industrial Relations Systems, Practice and Collective Bargaining in Jamaica.
In 1984, Gayle was awarded the Order of Distinction for his service to Jamaica in the field of industrial relations.
He served in the Royal Air Force from 1944 to 1948 and the Jamaica Battalion from 1950 to 1951.
Gayle is survived by his daughters Jacqueline and Claudette, and his son Michael.
A thanksgiving service for his life will be held on January 30 at Hope Gospel Assembly in Liguanea, St Andrew starting at 11:00 am.