Moomba and the history of Labour Day in Victoria

Those of us who are able to have Labour Day off are enjoying the long weekend, but do you know how it began?

Melbourne celebrates Labour Day with a public holiday on the second Monday of March every year. Labour Day has its origins in the eight-hour day movement which advocated eight hours for work eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest

The Eight Hour Day was a campaign in the 1850s that brought about one of the most important changes to the rights of workers.

In 1856 on April 21st Victorian stonemasons staged a well-organised and executed protest. The stonemasons had been working on the construction of the Old Quadrangle, a building that still stands on the original site of Melbourne University, when they downed tools and proceeded to march on to Parliament House, their number growing as they were joined by other members of the building trades.

The action taken by these construction workers resulted in workers employed on public works in Victoria wining the right to the eight-hour day without the loss of pay.

This historic victory for workers’ rights was a world first and laid the foundations for Victoria’s growing trade union movement.

It was because of this that the Melbourne protest is now seen as a pivotal moment in the rights of workers, one that inspired other changes over the many decades that followed.

Following the success of the Eight Hour Day protest the stonemasons celebrated that year with a holiday and procession held on Monday 12th of May.

Inspiring all that benefited from the new law, the parade saw almost 700 people take part in the march, with patrons of the parade representing as many as 19 trades.

Travelling from the Carlton Gardens to the Cremorne Gardens in Richmond, the march was a festive event with workers marching proudly behind decorative banners, alongside floats and accompanied by bands.

Remind you of Moomba?

Following the success of the protest in 1856, processions were held yearly to commemorate this historic victory for workers’ rights, which has grown into the Moomba parade we know today.

The day was officially declared a public holiday by the Victorian government in 1879, and for decades the marches were the largest public celebrations in Victoria, attracting tens of thousands of people with parades held in Melbourne and country towns throughout the State.

Almost a century after the eight-hour day victory, the Labour Day rally was replaced by Moomba in 1955.