Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

Eight Hour Day Monument Gets A Face Lift

As the activities surrounding the 888 150th Anniversary celebrations wind down for the remainder of 2006, there are still interesting stories to be told.

A couple of months ago, the golden ball and three golden eights that adorn the top of the memorial, situated diagonally opposite Victorian Trades Hall building, disappeared! Many worried passers-by, fearing a conservative plot, rang the Trades Hall to report these important treasures of trade union history, missing.

But there was a simple and legitimate explanation. The Melbourne City Council had stepped in to make their own 150th Anniversary contribution. And, of course, the Victorian Trades Hall Council and Trades Hall Literary Institute, the guardians of the monument, had been duly notified.

Paul Hunt, a conservator working with the Melbourne City Council, removed the memorial components from the top of the pillar and gave them a thorough repair and clean. This included regilding work that reflected how they looked originally.

He says the process was quite involved and took several days to complete.
”There was a lot of corrosion underneath that had to be removed and treated before I actually got around to the surface. I took it back to bare metal, then degreased it and regilded the surface.”
It’s no wonder the memorial shines in the sunlight; it is gilded with 23-carat gold leaf. And despite being over 100 years old the memorial retains the capacity to surprise.

Within the globe lies a pair of time capsules, presumably left there when the memorial was unveiled in 1903. On that occasion 14 survivors of the original eight-hour-day movement were on hand and it is possible they contributed to the materials left inside. Paul Hunt says there are a number of items in the globe.

“There are two jars that have been sealed up and inside is what looks like some kind of union manifesto and coins and medals from the time. As far as I’m aware no-one knew they were there.”
It seems the memorial is more than a simple commemoration of past victories, perhaps also serving as a guide to future struggles.

The memorial, believed to have been built by Percival Ball, was unveiled in 1903. The base is granite and stone with a gold leaf and bronze monument atop. The Globe is emblazoned with the words “Labor, Recreation & Peace” and refers to the popular slogan under which the eight-hour day campaign was fought in the 1800’s. The three golden 8s are also a reminder of that victory, a world first that came to be seen as the benchmark standard for working people everywhere.

Initially the publicly funded memorial was located in Gordon Reserve on Spring St, right next door to Parliament House. Apparently the conservative members of parliament were so offended by the sight of this memorial to one of the great victories of the labour movement that they lobbied hard for it to be removed.
In 1923 the Eight Hour Day Memorial was relocated to more accommodating surrounds on the corner opposite Trades Hall and there it has remained.

"Eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest"
Under this slogan, in 1856, the building workers of Melbourne fought a successful campaign to shorten their working week from 60 to 48 hours. Our Labour Day holiday in March commemorates this victory for workers.

Leanne Shingles, Eight Hour Day 150th Anniversary Project Co-ordinator, says the memorial is a great reminder of the important gains won for working people in Australia. She compares the Eight Hour Day Project to the work that has been done on the memorial.

”In some ways the project’s aim was to dust off the notion of the eight-hour day and the principles and lessons it offers us today.
“Not much has changed in 150 years, working people still desire to not let work consume their lives. They want to be able to participate in wider society and have quality time with their families.”
“In 1856 they were having much the same arguments. Health and safety and quality of life issues were so important to those people in the eight-hour-day movement.”

A Global Achievement
In the early years after Melbourne’s establishment as a city working people came from all over the world, brought here by the gold rush and the promised opportunities to make a start in a new land. A number of British migrant were trade unionists escaping persecution in their home country. They brought with them a strong tradition of industrial organising in pursuit of better conditions for working people.

The building unions worked hard to convince employers of the benefits of an eight-hour day. Finally, on March 26 1856, a meeting was held attended by building workers and employers and the following motion was moved:
"This meeting is of the opinion that the time has arrived when the system of eight hours per day should be introduced into the building trades, and that the laborious nature of the trade, and the continued exposure to the excessive heat of the climate, loudly calls for such a reform."
On April 21 1856 Stonemasons working at the University of Melbourne marched to Parliament House to press their claims for an eight-hour working day. Eventually an agreement with employers for a 48-hour week was reached, a significant world-first that inspired workers the world over to push for similar conditions.

The Eight Hour campaign was won and became a world first which spurred on other workers to organise and campaign for improved conditions at work.
In time, it became the accepted ideal worldwide as a fair split between work, rest and recreation. It is a dream many workers still hold.

Ironically, Australians today work some of the longest hours in the world. A recent survey of working hours and holidays revealed some startling statistics. Australians work longer hours for less pay and take fewer holidays than anyone else in OECD countries.

It is a disturbing trend for what was once the “worker’s paradise”. Today a hostile conservative government is attempting to wind back the clock by overturning many of the hard-won rights working people enjoy. There is no better time to be reminded of the groundbreaking work those early campaigners did, and the lessons they offer us today.

In any case, the Memorial stands, glistening in the sunlight, a testament to the possibilities of collectivism and the strength of a united working people. With plenty of attention such as it has recently received, it may stand for many centuries to come.
Eight Hour Day 150th Anniversary Project
Eight Hour Day 150th Anniversary Project has celebrated the occasion with a range of activities. There were 21 events over the year, including:
Eight Hour Day 150th Anniversary Project launch – read more 
Participating in the Moomba Parade – read more
The Eight Hour Day Exhibition – read more
Eight Hour Day Re-enactment March – read more
To celebrate the 150th anniversary, a series of arts, cultural and educational events took place throughout the year. Arts Victoria in partnership with Museum Victoria, State Library Victoria, Victorian Trades Hall Council, University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Melbourne Workers Theatre, Australian Centre for the Moving Image and City of Melbourne organised the Eight Hour Day Exhibition which has travelled throughout the state.

The exhibition includes a Worker’s Storybook and visitors were encouraged to add their own stories of working time, as the exhibition travels. The Worker’s Storybook will be added to Museum Victoria’s collection at the conclusion of the tour, in order for it to be retained for Victorians in perpetuity.

The exhibition is supported by a website, which has resources for Victorian primary and secondary teachers and students and details of the full Celebrate 888 program of events. Visit www.8hourday.org.au for more.

The exhibition has travelled through regional Victorian and is currently at its final destination in Albury / Wodonga. The exhibition opens in Albury on September 15 and will remain there until the end of the year.

The Eight Hour Day Memorial on the corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets is a powerful reminder of the rights working people have won in this country. The golden ball and three golden eights glisten in the sunlight, an embodiment of the higher ideals of working justice and equality.  Today, 150 years after the Eight Hour Day was won in this country, the monument remains a focal point for union activities. Sitting on the corner opposite Trades Hall, passed by thousands every day, it is a unique monument in Melbourne and still proudly honoured by the trade union movement.


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