It was initially named the St Kitts - Nevis - Anguilla Trades and Labour Union, and focused on organizing sugar workers.
Despite the mixed success of the action, it was seen as cementing the union's leading role in the country's labour movement.
In 1948, the union led a three-month strike on St Kitts among sugar cane cutters, officially calling for changes to the method of payment, but also making a variety of political demands.
Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw succeeded Challenger as president of the union, and he was elected to the ICFTU's executive board.
[1] The union has a close relationship with the ruling Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) formerly The Workers League.