About 2000 unionists marched from Belmore Park to the NSW Parliament, on Gadigal Country/Sydney, on May 1 to celebrate workers’ struggles and the fight against war. They joined millions of workers around the world who mark May Day each year as the symbol of class solidarity and internationalism.
The rally was chaired by Unions NSW assistant secretary Vanessa Seagrove.
Denis McNamara, long-time militant with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), told the crowd outside parliament that workers had a lot to protest about. “Everything is going up — except wages. We have a cost-of-living crisis, and governments are doing nothing.
“Workers can’t afford to buy or rent a house. Meanwhile, a million homes are sitting empty, owned by wealthy property investors. Let’s stop blaming migrants for our problems.”
McNamara criticised the federal Labor government for delivering cuts to NDIS funding the same day as it refused to tax the gas industry. “We should nationalise these industries and take our country back for the workers.”
Commenting on the forever wars, McNamara said: “We are being dragged into yet another war by United States imperialism and Israel. Meanwhile, the government can apparently find money for AUKUS nuclear submarines, but not for social spending.”
McNamara also pointed out that safety in the construction industry is deteriorating fast; 32 workers have been killed on the job so far this year. He concluded by saying: “We need to unite and fight against the billionaires!”
Natasha Watt, NSW Teachers Federation deputy president, said that the huge cost of AUKUS and the new fighter jets could pay for teachers’ salaries for years on end.
Speakers from the Electrical Trades Union and the Australian Meat Employees Union (AMIEU) called for May Day to be made a public holiday. “May Day is a day to celebrate with all the workers of the world,” the AMIEU representative declared.
Abigail Boyd, NSW Greens member of the Legislative Council, described the cost-of-living crisis as a “democracy crisis”. “Let’s tax the giant corporations and the wealthy property owners to pay for workers’ needs.”
Brad Pidgeon, NSW secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, urged unionists to remember the struggles by unionists “who fought to establish our rights and conditions years ago”. He said “unity, hope and peace” must be the movement’s watchwords.
Paul Keating, NSW secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, said May Day reminds all unions that the fight for rights and better working conditions is not over. “We stand together for the right to strike and to organise. We stand with First Nations peoples in this country. No to war, especially the Middle East wars being imposed by the US and Israel right now.
“We oppose the blockades and sanctions being enforced by the US against Cuba and Venezuela. Solidarity forever! The workers united will never be defeated,” said Keating.
Markela Panegyres reports from Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide that the lead banner at the May Day march on May 3 read: “Unity over division”. A sizeable and enthusiastic anti-war contingent, initiated by Unionists for Palestine, reminded everyone that Palestine is union business.
Tens of thousands of workers and their supporters joined Labour Day marches in Magan-djin/Brisbane and more than a dozen regional centres from May 2–4, reports Jonathan Strauss.
With the Labour Day public holiday creating a long weekend, families also enjoyed the lunch and rides, organised by the union movement.
Nurses and teacher union contingents vied with some of the blue-collar unions to be the biggest and the National Tertiary Education Union’s contingent was also a good size.
At the Kombumerri Country/Gold Coast march, the building industry unions were prominent, although the federal Labor government’s administration of the CFMEU continues to affect union militancy.
Regional May Day events were a chance for those unions to highlight their local activity. In Bundaberg, for example, about 300 people marched along the riverfront before hearing from, among others, AMWU organiser Jack Hargreaves about a recent strike by members at a local factory. Queensland Migrant WorkWise’s Jagath Bandara also spoke about organising in migrant communities.
Railway maintenance workers and teachers campaigns for enterprise agreements that include wage rises and better working conditions were the prominent industrial issues at the statewide marches.
The Queensland Council of Unions sought to mobilise workers against attacks on health and safety rights at work as well.
In Magan-djin, Unionists for Palestine continued to gather support and Justice for Palestine organised a contingent of 150 in support of the Not Our Law campaign. A Palestine solidarity contingent of joined the march in Gimuy/Cairns.
Socialist Alliance joined the event for the first time in Rockhampton and organised a stall in Townsville. Its members also joined the Magan-djin and Kombumerri Country marches.
From Muloobinba/Newcastle, Steve O’Brien reports that more than 2000 unionists marched at May Day with strong turnouts by the CFMEU, ETU, AMIEU, Fire Brigade Employees Union and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.
A popular demand was to reverse the privatisation of the Newcastle public buses.
