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

May Day March and Festival 2008

Assemble 1pm
Sunday 4 May 2008
Victorian Trades Hall Council
Cnr Victoria and Russell Sts

May Day is the internationally recognised day of celebrating the achievements of the labour movement and working class. May Day marches in Victoria started in 1893 and continue to this day.
Today the labour movement is under unprecedented attack and we need to stand firm against the work laws that threaten so many aspects of the Australian way of life.
Join us at Trades Hall on the first Sunday in May to celebrate the many social achievements and ongoing struggle of working people in this country.

Thursday 1st May 5pm
Wreath Laying Ceremony at the 8 Hour monument a brief ceremony to commemorate workers’ struggles.
 
Thursday 1st May 7pm
Multicultural Event Speakers and Cultural items hosted by a number of ethnic groups.  Followed by a Multicultural supper. The event takes place at Trades Hall.
 
Sunday 4th May
Family Festival & May Day March  Festivities begin at 12pm in Lygon St outside Trades Hall.
The May Day March assembles at 1pm on the corner of Victoria and Russell Sts, opposite Trades Hall, and then moves through the city and back to Lygon St.  Speakers, activities, stalls.
 
This day is a joint exercise between the Victorian Trades Hall Council Executive and the Melbourne May Day Committee.

May Day A Brief History

The International Labour Day called May Day, actually originated in the United States in 1884 at a Conference of U.S. and Canadian Trade Unions.
The conference decided to launch an intensive campaign for the 8-hour day and to culminate the struggle on May 1st 1888.  (The 8 hour day was first achieved anywhere in the world in 1856 in Melbourne Australia on the 21st April).

This campaign led to a bitter struggle.  There were 1572 strikes involving 600,000 workers leading up to the May 1st demonstrations. Over half a million workers took part in the May 1st activities.  Six workers were killed, 200 injured, others framed and hanged.

Subsequently at an International Labour Congress in Paris a resolution was carried to declare May 1st 1890 a great day of workers International demonstrations throughout the world. Australian delegates were at this conference.

In Victoria the Day was marked by a meeting at the Trades Hall Council.  It was later decided to celebrate International May Day by the holding of a march on the first Sunday of every May calling for better wages, working and living conditions, the end to imperialist wars and for Socialism.
May Day marches in Victoria started in 1893 and continued up to today, except for 1941 and 1942 when May Day celebrations were banned by the Menzie’s Government


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