Around 1500 unionists and activists gathered at Belmore Park today before marching to Hyde Park to mark International Workers’ Day. A contingent consisting of the USyd Student Representative Council, Education Action Group and Women’s Collective attended the rally.
May Day, also known as Labour Day, is an international day of celebration of workers’ rights and the union movement, with origins in Second International’s support for the eight-hour working day and the American Federation of Labor.
The protest had a strong union presence, including a large contingent of construction workers who walked off work to attend the rally. Members of the Australian Paramedics Association, NSW Plumbers Union and Maritime Union of Australia, among others, also attended. A minute’s silence was held for late paramedic Steven Tougher, who was murdered in Campbelltown with his funeral held simultaneously in Wollongong.
Speakers called for laws formulated by the Australian Building and Construction Commission, established in 2016 and abolished by the Labor government, to be repealed in New South Wales. Speakers commended the recent strikes including those by teachers, public servants, construction workers and railway workers.
Speakers also expressed support for the Gomeroi people fighting the Santos gas project in the Pilliga region, highlighting the need for a “just transition” to renewables and noted the upcoming march in Port Kembla on May 6 against a proposed submarine base, denouncing AUKUS and imperialism by the Australian government and others. Protestors called for “real” wage rises and general strikes across the country, as well as a denunciation of the Fair Work Act as “an anti union law” which smashes unions and workers rights.
USyd SRC Education Officer Ishbel Dunsmore said “[W]e believe as a fighting student union our power lies in the streets, fighting for our rights and for workers’ rights.”
USyd SRC Women’s Officer Alev Saracoglu highlighted the connections between the labour movement and women’s liberation.
“[O]ur purpose for attending is to show solidarity and throw weight behind the labour movement, and to take back salient political points from the day and work to incorporate that within our own organising – like better incorporating the cost of living crisis into our anti-college campaign.”
“Considering the attacks we’ve seen on the public sector — which their wage cap exacerbates — especially those in feminised labo[u]r like nurses and teachers, we particularly feel like our collective has a role to play in building support and working to connect those struggles in the hopes of potential general strike.”
The rally ended with speeches giving way to the protestors singing “Solidarity Forever”.
