The United Labour Front was a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

 and the main opposition party between 1976 and 1986.

History

The party was established in 1975 by union leaders in an attempt to unify the mainly black workers in the oil industry with the mainly Indian workers in the sugar plantations. However, this was not achieved successfully, and the party was labelled communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 by opponents, alienating key potential voters. Despite this setback, the party received 27.2% of the vote in the 1976 elections

Trinidad and Tobago general election, 1976

General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 13 September 1976. The result was a victory for the People's National Movement, which won 24 of the 36 seats. Voter turnout was 55.8%.-Results:...

, winning ten of the 36 seats and becoming the main opposition to the People's National Movement

People's National Movement

The People's National Movement is the present-day opposition political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, it won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981 George Chambers led the party...

. It saw most of its success amongst Indian voters, and despite its intentions to become a multi-racial party, effectively became the successor to the Democratic Labour Party

Democratic Labour Party (Trinidad and Tobago)

The Democratic Labour Party was the main opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1957 and 1971. The party was the party which opposed the People's National Movement at the time of Independence...

. Having started with a collective leadership, the party eventually coalesced around Basdeo Panday

Basdeo Panday

Basdeo Panday was the 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1989–1995 and 2001–2010. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North. He is the former...

.

In the 1981 elections

Trinidad and Tobago general election, 1981

General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 9 November 1981. The result was a victory for the People's National Movement, which won 26 of the 36 seats. Voter turnout was 56.4%.-Results:...

 the party joined with the Democratic Action Congress

Democratic Action Congress

The Democratic Action Congress was a Tobago-based political party in Trinidad and Tobago.-History:The party was established in 1971 by A. N. R. Robinson, and was originally a autonomist party. It first contested general elections in 1976, in which it won both Tobago seats, taken by Robinson and...

 and the Tapia House Movement

Tapia House Movement

The Tapia House Movement was a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. It first contested national elections in 1976, when it finished fourth with 3.9% of the vote, but failed to win a seat...

 to form the Trinidad and Tobago National Alliance. However, its vote share fell to 15.2%, falling behind the Organisation for National Reconstruction

Organisation for National Reconstruction

The Organisation for National Reconstruction was a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party received the second-highest number of votes in the 1981 general elections, but failed to win a seat...

, and losing two of its ten seats (the DAC won two and the Tapia House Movement none). Prior to the 1986 elections

Trinidad and Tobago general election, 1986

General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 15 December 1986. The result was a victory for the National Alliance for Reconstruction, which won 33 of the 36 seats. Voter turnout was 65.5%.-Results:...

 it merged into the newly-established National Alliance for Reconstruction

National Alliance for Reconstruction

The National Alliance for Reconstruction was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1986 and 1991.-History:The party was established in 1986, aiming to be a multi-racial party...

, which won the elections.