It’s the Labour Day holiday here today, which recognises the union achievement of the 40 hour week.

On 21 April 1900 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, 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 the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day. — Wikipedia

Which reminded me that I wanted to make a note of Kim Beazley’s comments about unionism in his valedictory speech in parliament a week or so back:

It is no accident the union movement is now being abused up hill and down dale by our political opponents. Understand this: when you wish to assault democracy, first you attack the unions. When you wish to restore democracy, first you start with the unions. It is no accident the opposition in Zimbabwe now is led by the unions. It is no accident they are the heart and soul of what gives force and power to the democratic movement [in that country].

I recollect when I first came into this place [in 1980] the walls of Eastern Europe were cracking. The Soviet empire was falling apart. What was the first indication? Solidarity [the union movement in Poland]. What was absolutely clear was that [Solidarity] was a challenge the Soviet Union could not handle. A challenge of free unions was something a dictatorial Communist Party could not handle. That was the key to establishing democracy throughout Eastern Europe. If you undermine unions, if you undermine democracy in the workplace, then you undermine democracy in the nation overall. First destroy the unions, then you destroy democracy.

Also, unions play an important part in skilling people with negotiation skills. I’m tired of the Howard government using unions as whipping boys and bogeymen, and seeking to diminish them; and Labor cowed on the issue to a certain extent. It was good to see a Labor minister defending unionism proudly, despite knowing he was able to do it so strongly because he is leaving politics. Thanks, Kim.