Ask Sue-belinda

IT is Labour Day and with any luck, you’ll be enjoying a quiet and restful day in the company of friends or family or perhaps just taking time for yourself to recharge the batteries.

This is the final of our ‘three in a row’ long weekends, so make the most of it.

How did this day come about?

Labour Day was born out of the ‘ Eight Hour Movement’, the brainchild of the English socialist Robert Owen.

He came up with the slogan, ‘8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest’.

Surely, we always worked an eight-hour day, five day week didn’t we?

I’m so glad you asked! Back in the 1700s when the Industrial Revolution was changing the face of society, industrialists wanted to get maximum output from their factories and a working day – even for small children – was of between 10 and 16 hours.

Furthermore, the working week was six days with only Sunday off for religious observances and family time.

Perhaps you know the nursery rhyme ‘Boys and girls come out to play’?

This tells the story of the work house children who often lived on the floor above the factory, who would sneak out at night to play by moonlight and enjoy their childhood: ‘ Boys and girls come out to play. The moon doth shine as bright as day. Leave your supper and leave your sleep and come with your playmates into the street.’

Sadly, this practice left them tired and was responsible for many serious injuries and ultimately deaths.

There was no minimum wage, conditions were poor, even dangerous and if you failed to do what the overseer wanted, you’d be out on the street and some other soul would gladly take your place.

Wages were so poor that families sent their children to work in the factories too, so that there might be enough money to survive.

Birth control did not exist and families were large.

Education was a luxury, available for the children of the wealthy. Some were fortunate to access Sunday school, which taught not only from the Bible, but also the ‘three R’s’.

This was the time in which the great Quaker families, regarded by some as Christian socialists, rose in the world of industry.

The chocolate industry attracted many Quaker families – Rowntree, Terry, Fry and the Cadbury Brothers were synonymous with business success and with social reform, believing that happy, fulfilled and cared-for workers did a better job.

The Cadbury and Rowntree families would go on to build communities around their factories in which workers had homes, garden plots for vegetables, fruit orchards, tennis courts and a swimming pool for all where the lessons were free.

Schools were built and children were educated in mind and body while their parents worked an eight-hour day.

Adult literacy classes were available after church free of charge.

For those who were not fortunate enough to work for a Quaker business, there were men like Robert Owen who, in 1817 began campaigning for an eight-hour day for all workers.

By 1847 the British Factories Act required that women and children could not work longer than 10 hours per day making a six-day, 60hour week.

Word spread to distant Australia and on April 21, 1856, the stonemasons at the University of Melbourne marched to Parliament House to push for an eight-hour day – a forty-eight hour week.

By 1858 Queensland would follow. It would be another 90 years until the five-day week that most of us enjoy today would be adopted.

In Queensland, the first Labour Day celebration took place on March 16, 1861, and was basically only for the small number of skilled tradespeople who’d achieved their eight-hour day.

In fact, it would be another 20 years until the bulk of workers were granted an eight-hour day and they were actually excluded from the early celebrations.

Americans would follow the Australian example and declared May 1, 1886, as a day of universal work stoppage to shine a light on the goal for an eight-hour day. In Paris in 1889 the International Working Men’s Association declared that May 1 would become an international working class holiday.

In Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide on May 1, 1890, workers held their first May Day meeting.

On May 1, 1891, 100 striking shearers set down their shears to take part in a May Day march through Barcaldine and the local paper records that shouts and cheers went up in support of the eight-hour day.

This event in our history would be marked by Henry Lawson in his poem, Freedom on the Wallaby.

From May 1893, the holding of both the Labour Day celebrations in March and May Day march on May 1 continued. It’s not known when or why Queensland unionists decided to drop the Labour Day celebrations of the attainment of the eight-hour day in March in favour of the May Day event, but that is what happened.

In fact, most states continue to celebrate on the anniversary of their achieving the eighthour day.

You might want to spare a thought for the stone masons who all those years ago set the ball rolling. Today, it’s estimated that there are fewer than 1000 qualified stone masons Queensland wide and of that number, around 18 per cent, or 186, have a lung condition called silicosis caused by inhaling fine dust particles.

Now we just need to constrain ourselves to enjoy the benefits and use the time to relax and recharge – not just exchange one work setting for another.

Enjoy your day.

Have you a word or phrase that’s troubling you? Is there an event about which you’d like information? Would you like assistance with a question you can’t shake? Please contact me.

Steve, Belgian Gardens, just wondering this Australian voice transmitting Australian values you speak of must be a different Labor Party then the one I know of. As they definitely don’t speak the Australian values that I need or want to hear. And it’s red shirt wearing yahoos like you that will vote for this out of touch party. MUZ, 4815

Albanese is highly critical of the soaring cost of groceries but won’t say what he will do about it. Lots of words but no answers. People are not fools. They know that the Labor Party can’t change the price of a lettuce. At least the other side is doing worthwhile things to cut household costs. STEVIE, BELGIAN GARDENS

Only a boring person states ”I don’t think I’m boring.” Albo, you’re certainly not dynamic, plodder I think may be a fair description, and besides Albo, self praise is no recommendation. PEDRO, CRANBROOK

Reality and renewable energy go handin-hand with independent climate warriors, with policies to shut down coal-fired power stations and slowly plunge us into darkness, while China and India build new coal powered electricity stations, the pied piper is back stealing our children’s minds and turning them into climate extremist zombies, that have lost the will for debate, so let’s think about who’s fit to keep your job and the lights on, CRIS WULGURU

Steve, of Belgian Gardens, and his comments on coal. Neither India nor China have decreased their coal orders from Australia, and have advised of their future coal needs increasing further. Saying what you personally want to happen does not mean it is happening. There are two major identifiables in relation to coal and energy – reliability and reality and you don’t seem to want to recognise either. THE SAINT, CASTLE HILL

What will Labor expect of self-funded retirees after this election? Last time they wanted our franking credits. Will they be after our superannuation or houses this time? Nothing has been mentioned this time with the statement that franking credits are off the agenda. What is on this agenda ALP? WARREN, A’DALE

The North Queensland Cowboys call team do a great job, if only they could give us the score more often, at least as often as they mention the sponsors. K. J. C, ANNANDALE

Having been well and truly entertained by the US Navy’s 7th Fleet band on The Strand Saturday afternoon it was disappointing to see the poor turnout of the Townsville people at the venue. The band was excellent. DAVE T, CRANBROOK

So Anthony Albanese wants an inquiry into Robodebt if he is elected but wouldn’t have an inquiry into the mean girls allegations.

MG, 4814

Just saw Albo giving $125m to WA for l35 electric buses. WA is also putting in $125m that's nearly $2m per bus. Public transport is a state problem and has nothing to do with the federal government. BILL, 4850