Vic: Call to arms to protect eight hour day

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2006
Vic: Call to arms to protect eight hour day

By Danny Rose

MELBOURNE, April 21 AAP - Workers celebrating the 150th anniversary of the eight hour
day have been urged to rise up against the Howard government's bid to "return us to the
dark days of the 18th century".

Victorian Industrial Relations Minster Rob Hulls addressed a gathering of about 100
workers and union supporters on parliament's steps, after they had marched through the
city from Melbourne University.

The march retraced the path first trodden by hundreds of angry stonemasons and fellow
tradesmen who downed tools on April 21, 1856, in a major turning point in the campaign
for a standard working day in Australia.

At the head of today's march, three people carried a large figure eight on a pole to
represent the movement's "Eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest"

catch-cry.

Mr Hulls told the gathering that another worker-led revolt was now required to oppose
the Howard government's Work Choices industrial reforms.

"(Prime Minister) John Howard is hell-bent on destroying the tradition of the fair
go, and returning us to the dark days of the 18th century master-servant relationship,"

he said.

"... This march is a very important reminder to John Howard that we will not forget
his anti-worker, anti-family stance."

ACTU secretary Greg Combet also said the successful protest 150 years ago had laid
the groundwork for the creation of the weekend in Australia.

"It's what laid the basis for family life as we have experienced it ... for many generations,"

Mr Combet told the gathering.

He said the union movement had "fundamentally shaped" Australia's working conditions
and family life, and: "if these jokers in the Howard government think we're not going
to be around longer than them they need to start thinking again".

After the initial march in 1856, a celebratory Eight Hour March was repeated on the
route every year until 1951 when the Victorian Trades Hall Council decided to forgo the
tradition.

Although Melbourne claims the title of achieving the first eight-hour day, labour historians
say Sydney's stonemasons issued a six-month ultimatum for an eight-hour day in August
1855.

Some decided not to wait and went on strike to win the eight-hour day before the ultimatum
elapsed. They celebrated their victory on October 1, 1855.

NSW, the ACT and South Australia celebrate Labour Day in October, while Victoria, Tasmania
and Western Australia hold their Labour Day or Eight Hour Day holidays in March.

Queensland and the Northern Territory celebrate Labour Day, or May Day in NT, on May 1 this year.

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KEYWORD: DAY NIGHTLEAD

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