Download the 2008 Poster

 


Please Note: There are two new menu items. Australian posters and 2008 photos.
MAY DAY/WORKERS' DAY 2008
Help continue the struggle for our rights at work, against the employers, against big business who have forced/demanded a totally inadequate response so far from the Federal Labor Government.

The defeated Howard Government completely exposed its anti-working class/anti-union nature with the workplace laws which attack, undermine and remove almost all effective worker rights related to the principles of 'Freedom of Association".

The right to strike, the right to collectively bargain, the right to organise, the rights of union delegates, the rights of access to effective industrial tribunals, the right to job security and a decent living standard, and the right to a safe and healthy workplace, are seriously eroded or scrapped.

As well as all this the Howard Government's programme was to build a two tier health system which includes a deteriorating poor quality system for those on lower incomes, to provide an education system which more and more favours the well paid and rich, to undermine student rights, to attack the rights of the indigenous people, to attack civil and human rights under the banner of the so-called "war on terror", to lend unquestioning support to the wars of aggression by U.S Corporate interests and the administrations that represent those interests - this Howard Government programme now stands condemned. These policies however, have yet to be dealt with.

May Day 2008 must be used as a significant mobilisation of the working people and other community sectors to demonstrate that this reactionary programme will not be tolerated by the Australian People and to give expression to the people's demands for a fair, decent, peaceful, welcoming, democratic and tolerant Australia.

May Day is about winning a shorter working week, protection and improvement of the environment, a Bill of Rights to help protect the democratic, social and human rights of the Australian people, land rights for indigenous Australians and international solidarity with the struggling peoples throughout the world.

May Day is also about winning a public holiday to celebrate May Day -Workers' Day. In the final analysis May Day is about opposing the death and destruction caused by aggressive wars, such as those launched by US Imperialism in Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and other places, but it is also about changing the system of world capitalism.

 
Continue The Fight For Your Rights At Work

The Melbourne May Day Committee, which has been organising the May Day march and other activities inMelbourne for over 115 years, and the Victorian Trades Hall Council are once again jointly organising May Day 2008.

A central theme for May Day 2008 is to continue the fight for your rights at work. We must continue our campaign at least until all workers' rights have been restored, including the right to strike and other basic freedom of association rights.

We are also continuing to mobilise against Australia's involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and for Australia to take a more independent position in world affairs.

We are continuing to demand a public holiday on May 1st.

The traditional May Day March, will start earlier (1PM assembly at the Trades Hall), and end up back at the Trades Hall to occupy Lygon Street (between Victoria and Queensberry Streets) with family activities, music, food and information stalls, children's activities and the like.

There will be speakers at the end of the march to tell of various worker struggles that have taken/are taking place and issues of international struggles and solidarity.

Bring family, friends, neighbours and your community organisation members.

Be there on Sunday May 4th, 2008, at Lygon St. between Victoria Parade and Queensberry St. from 12 Noon onwards.

JOIN IN FOR WORKERS' DAY 2008

Attacks on the Working Class 

The Australian working class is under the most sustained attack on their living conditions - wages, hours, working conditions, safety on the job, their right to organise, right to health care, education, housing and employment, by the capitalist class and the institutions of capitalism.

The attack is driven by the transnational’s and comes once again because in the present world economic crisis, the capitalists are trying to increase their share of surplus value to the maximum, and to do this they must reduce to a minimum the share of surplus value taken by the working class.

The forces of the State are being used, in vain, to beat the resistance of the workers into acceptance.

The Melbourne May Day Committee felt that the100th anniversary (1990) of the International May Day was an opportune time to review the struggles of the workers and their organisation, to assess again their goals, to learn the lessons of history in order to strengthen the struggle for a future free of exploitation, oppression, poverty and inequality.

Socialism has long been the social system recognised as the only one which will end the exploitation of the working class, the constant threat of economic crisis and the danger of war.
The events in Europe andChina have not dimmed this goal. Thirty years ago, the leaders of the socialist countries rejected the scientific theories of socialism which created those societies and this began the downward slide into capitalism that we witness today.

Such a look at history must confirm the truth of scientific socialism as the way forward.

Many pamphlets, leaflets, newsletters, books have been written in celebration of May Day - or May Day has been part of the history written about great events in working class struggles, or the role of courageous men and women in the history of the struggle for the emancipation of the working class and the whole of society from exploitation and oppression.

Vida Little October 1990