United Voice News
Labour Day in Queensland is a great celebration of what working people been have been able to achieve and what they are still achieving and serves as a protest against ongoing injustice. 
How is it that the working people’s day came about?
The origins of Labour Day in Queensland date back to the mid 19thcentury fight for reductions in hours and improvements in conditions.
The eight hour day was perhaps the most significant of those improvements and was a catalyst for the growth and popularity of the day.
In 1890, striking shearers held a march in Barcaldine on the 1st of May, which resulted in the Brisbane May Day march being held in May of 1893. 
Ultimately the day was made an official public holiday thanks to unions lobbying and the election of a Labor Government.
In 1912, among fierce strikes over the conservative Government’s anti-worker practices the day was renamed Labour Day.
Over the years Labour Day has been a vehicle for delivering the movements’ key message of fairness and highlighting deficiencies in workers rights.
As well as an opportunity for workers and their families to celebrate the movements’ achievements, the day often carries very serious industria
l and political messages.
Most recently Labour Day was a method for uniting union and community support against the unfair WorkChoices legislation.
The size and impact of the rally and celebrations varies depending on broader events in society, however Labour Day is a Queensland tradition and a constant in the social and political landscape of the labour movement in Australia.
