Labour Day & May Day 2018
Labour Day / May Day will take place during the long weekend of 5-7 May 2018, with celebrations scheduled across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Labour Day / May Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many achievements of the union movement and make a statement about our aspirations for the future.
The message IEUA-QNT members will be sharing this Labour Day and May Day is, It's time to Change The Rules. Click here to find out why.
Click here to download a printable Labour Day/May Day flyer
Bundaberg: Meet @ 10:00am, Riverside Parklands, Quay St.
Cairns: Meet @ 3:30pm, Fogarty Park, Cairns Esplanade.
Ipswich: Meet @ 1:30pm, Timothy Maloney Park, Ellensborough St, Woodend.
Gold Coast: Meet @ 9:30am, Woodroffe Park, Southport.
Maryborough: Meet @ 9:30am, Waterside Workers’ Union Hall, Wharf St.
Sunshine Coast: Family Fun Day 10:00am-2:00pm. *Venue change* The event will now be held at Pierce Park, Cnr Alexandra Pde and Melrose Pde, Cotton Tree.
Alice Springs: Meet @ 10:00am, Memorial Club Carpark, Gap Rd.
Brisbane: Meet @ 9:00am, IEUA-QNT Office, 346 Turbot St, Spring Hill.
Darwin: Meet @ 3:30pm, IEUA-QNT Office, 38 Woods St, Darwin.
Mackay: Meet @ 9:00am, Cnr River & Gregory Streets.
Rockhampton: Meet @ 8:30am, Riverside Carpark, Archer St.
Townsville: Meet @ 10:00am, Strand Park, The Strand.
Thursday Island: Meet @ 5:00pm, Thursday Island Post Office.
Click here to complete the Labour Day/May Day 2018 RSVP form.
Labour Day in Queensland and May Day in the Northern Territory has a long history both internationally and in Australia dating back more than 130 years.
In Chicago, the May Day Haymarket event of 4 May 1884, which resulted in the death and wounding of some in attendance and the ultimate wrongful conviction and execution of four alleged union agitators, provided the foundation for what we know now as Labour Day.
In 1889 a proposal was made to establish a day to recognise the anniversary of the Chicago protests.
As a result, 1 May each year is known as International Workers’ Day.
In Australia, the antecedent of Labour Day began in Barcaldine in 1891.
In January 1891 the Shearer’s Strike was declared in response to the actions of the Pastoralists’ Federal Council who sought to increase profits by employing non-union shearers on individual contracts for lower rates of pay.
Union workers established strike camps in towns near shearing sheds, with one of the largest camps near Barcaldine.
On 1 May 1891, more than 1300 striking workers marched through the town as part of the dispute.
In Queensland, the proclamation of a public holiday on the first Monday of May occurred in 1901 with this day formally recognised as Labour Day from 1912.
Since that time, the community has come together each year to celebrate the achievements of workers and recognise that only continued vigilance, collective action and struggle can keep and improve the wages and conditions won by the union members who came before us.
