Tomorrow May 1st is International Labour Day

 

Tomorrow is International Labour Day


Labour Day (Labor Day in United States of America) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. For many countries, Labour Day is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May. For other countries, Labour Day is celebrated on a different date, often one with special significance for the labour movement in that country.

Australia
Celebrating the Australian labour movement and specifically the achievement of a working day limited to eight hours, the Labour Day public holiday is fixed by the various state and territory governments, and so varies considerably. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia and, since 2013, Queensland. In both Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day). In Western Australia, Labour Day is the first Monday in March. In the Northern Territory, it is called May Day and occurs on the first Monday in May.[1]

 Wikipaedia 

8 comments

Wonder why we celbrate it out of step with the rest of the world ?

I don't know for sure but I think a number of countries have moved to another date.  I would guess that the day was taken over by the communists and the Social Democrat Parties ( Labor) did not want to be Associted with them . 

Most would not know what it was like prewar in the workforce, things began to change after the war, the 40hr week came in, a lot of excesses by some were removed by law.

Seth 40 hour week came in long before the close of WW2


The first march for an eight-hour day by the labour movement occurred in Melbourne on the 21st of April, 1856.[2] On this day stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as being among the first organised workers in the world to achieve an 8-hour day, with no loss of pay.[3]

Pete I never saw you on the job? It was in 1948 the 40hr wk started in Melb. My eldest son was born that year.

Yes I wasn't " on the job" until 1958 when at sixteen I was a builders labouer for Taylor Woodrow in London . 

Were we ever 16 ?????  A builders labourer today  is a very skilled man,               Most building trades have their own labourers, good as the tradesman but no cerificate.

unlike the early days when it was for itinerant workers

Are you suggesting I was an unskilled intinerent worker? I will admit I was the only Englishman on site as all the rest were Irish..

There was a black chap , I was known as Blondie and he was Sambo .. We used to travel to work together on the tube . We were always guanteed plenty of room as no one would sit near us .,,

PETE i would never suggest that you were an unskilled, itinerant, pommie....  Were you? you can tell me, just print your answer softly.

Why was he called sambo..... isn't that racism? were they sure he was black?

All albinos are nicknamed blondie so that was OK.

It was 1958 before PC came in .. Sambo was oK ...

I was surprised three years later when I came to Australia a whites only policy . 

I was a highly skilled itinerant ( Gypsy) laborer.  I remember being hung down a lift shaft with a Kanga Drill and a cotton face mask to take off some concrete . As the shaft was too narrow ., 

May 1st in England was always celebrated as the beginning of Spring with Maypole dancing and celebrations even when I was at school and  almost certainly a Pagan celebration. It never had anything to do with the Labour movement.

Viv is correct but is still mark by many as in London for instance

In London the May Day march and rally, organised by the London May Day Committee(South East Region Trades Councils), gather together in Clerkenwell Green near the Marx Memorial Library before marching to Trafalgar Square for a rally with speeches from representatives of local, national and international trades unions and campaigning organisations. This event always takes place on May 1st with the intention to reinstate May 1st, regardless of what day it falls on, as a national holiday. More images and information of London's May Day rally is covered by the "Working Class Heroes" project.

Bank holiday in Blighty on Monday

Funny how long weekend hlidays fall on Monday :)

Abby would be funnier if long weekends fell on a wednesday,everyone would be calling out the missing'Ó'  oh!!

Sometimes if Xmas day falls on a Sunday the Holiday falls on Tuesday and Wednesday.

No wonder people are confused........no one knows what day it is.

Uncle Seth

Its Thursday mate.

What all day?

Until the carriage turns into a pumpin

Its Thors  Day.

Then tomorrow is Fri's day, who the hell is Fri?

 

I think he was one of Robin  Hoods  men ..,

Today, May 1st, is my birthday! It is a huge public holiday in France, to do with workers rights. Obviously it was huge in Soviet times. Sometimes I go to the Labour Day dinner (Workers of the World Unite). In England it is indeed a holiday celebrating spring, dancing around the maypole etc.

I love my birthday. And I am ecstatic I wasn‘t born on April 1st or at Christmas. One of my brothers was born on 23 Dec and he usually only gets one present.

Happy birthday Booky and  happy May Day to the couple of Commos left and to the Labor party which Shorten thinks is a social Democrat party and Julia said it was't  ....

i think in the UK the Labor Govt in 1979 declared a Labor Day on May 1 but  the fascist capitilist running dogs of Tory's changed it to a Bank Holiday .... 

We should all stand and sing  " The Red Flag" or O Christmas tree which is the same  tune .,,,

The Working class can miss my arse 

I've got the foremans job at last..

Happy birthday bookwyrm.

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