Eight Hours Day – March 10

Eight Hours Day in Australia is celebrated in various parts of the country, particularly in Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia. This day honors the victory of the stonemasons who, in their fight for fair working conditions, demanded that the workday be limited to eight hours.

The eight-hour day movement, also known as the 40-hour week movement, was a social movement aimed at regulating the length of the working day, setting limits on the workweek, and preventing the exploitation of workers by their employers. The roots of this movement in Australia can be traced back to the colonial era when the British established penal colonies, forcing people into indentured servitude. At the time, trade unions were illegal, and workers who sought better opportunities or left their jobs without permission could be pursued and punished.

With the onset of the Australian gold rush, a large number of skilled tradesmen arrived in the country. Many of these workers had been involved in the Chartism movement in Britain, which campaigned for people's rights. These tradesmen, along with the local workforce, began pushing for better working conditions and shorter workdays.

Workers across different industries and sectors started to protest for shorter work hours, eventually winning the right to eight-hour workdays in their respective industries. The pivotal moment came in Sydney when the Stonemasons Society issued a six-month ultimatum to their employers, demanding that work hours be reduced to eight hours. This sparked a wave of protests and led to the formation of craft unions throughout Sydney and New South Wales. The movement then spread to Melbourne, with veteran Chartists leading the charge.

Achieving the eight-hour workday for all workers in Australia took a great deal of campaigning and effort. Eventually, the movement culminated in the passing of the Eight Hours Act in Victoria, guaranteeing the right to an eight-hour workday for all workers in the state.