Union officials in front of Federated Coopers' Union banner. Banner artist Wearne Dunstan is at far left.
Source: Roy Dunstan
On display from 18 April to 12 November, Victorian Trade Union Banners: A Proud Tradition features historic trade union banners from the past 150 years.
The exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of the Eight Hour Day in Victoria — the first place in the world to achieve this.
On 21 April 1856, stonemasons and building workers marched through Melbourne. Gathering supporters on the way, they headed to Parliament to demand regulated working hours with no loss of pay. Their demands were granted — a world first — and today, the eight-hour working day stands as a symbol of the democratic rights of workers everywhere to organise for improved working conditions.
The Eight Hour Day pioneers rallied around the slogan '8 Hours Labour, 8 Hours Recreation, 8 Hours Rest'. This vision of a balance between work and other aspects of our lives remains relevant today, with the Eight Hour Day 150th anniversary coinciding with vigorous debate on contemporary work issues, wherein working hours are again a disputed subject.
Trade union banners were created specifically for processions held each Eight Hour Day (later renamed Labour Day). For decades, these were Victoria’s largest public celebrations, as workers marched with banners, floats and bands through Melbourne and country towns, watched by tens of thousands of people.
Of the more than 200 Victorian trade union banners made in the 19th and early 20th centuries approximately 12 have survived. As part of the anniversary celebrations, Museum Victoria along with trade unions undertook a major conservation project to restore four of these.
Banners on display include a reproduction of the original 1856 banner, eight historical banners (seven conserved by Museum Victoria) and five contemporary 1980s banners.
For further information on this exhibition and other Eight Hour Day 150th Anniversary celebrations, visit www.8hourday.org.au.