Community
10 May, 2024
Marching in solidarity
MORE than 1000 workers and their families marched on the streets of Cairns on Labour Day to celebrate the achievements of workers throughout history and the many challenges to come.
Cairns unions and union representatives from across Australia gathered to support the FNQ Council of Unions Labour Day Parade on Monday, May 6, where workers once again called for better work conditions, funding for public schools, equality for female workers and better wages during the current cost of living crisis.
Marching from the Fig Tree Playground onto the Esplanade and back to the playground, the parade was led by special guests – the Women in Male Dominated Occupations and Industries (WIMDOI) union – comprised of women from across Australia and New Zealand, who are gathered in Cairns for the biennial WIMDOI conference.
Far North Queensland Council of Unions president Robert Hill said the occasion on Monday was both to celebrate workers and to reflect on the upcoming challenges.
“Today we celebrate Labour Day in Cairns, and workers have gotten together to celebrate their forebearers and brace themselves for the challenges going forward,” he said.
“Labour Day is very meaningful, it’s the day that unionists look forward to the most.
“We’ve achieved a lot, Australia is a highly industrialised nation, we were one of the first to win an eight-hour working day, one of the first to recognise that we needed pay equity for women in the workplace but we’re not there yet.
“There’s isolated pockets of things we need to fight for, cost of living pressures are hurting people and we need to collectively bargain for better agreements and wage increases.”
Not only was this a momentous day for all workers but also for the Queensland Teachers Union which is celebrating its 135th anniversary.
“We’re celebrating our 135th birthday this year and it’s very significant this year because we’re in the middle of a campaign around the funding model for state schools,” said Far North Queensland QTU organiser Samantha Blocksidge.
“In Queensland we sit at 86 per cent of our Schooling Resource Standard and we’re pushing for 100 per cent SRS. This is what teachers want for us to keep being able to do what we do.”
Mr Hill reminded the Cairns community of the importance of supporting workers and joining a union.
“It’s more important than ever to be a part of your union and we need to stick together to deliver better outcomes,” he said.
View our gallery of the event online at www.cairnslocalnews.com.au
