Hunter workers are set to band together on May 1 as part of an international plea for governments across the globe to improve conditions for working-class citizens.
“May Day is an inaugural political protest, as well as a celebration of workers’ struggles and achievements for better wages, working conditions and a fairer society for all,” Hunter Workers Secretary, Leigh Shears said.
“We expect two thousand people to turn out this year due to the number of trade union claims going forward, as well as the proximity of the federal election and workers’ desire to make their voices heard.
“We’re campaigning for stronger workplaces, a better society and securer jobs.”
Key themes in this year’s May Day event include “Same Job, Same Pay”, “Secure Jobs Worth Fighting for”, and “Australian Made”.
Shears said they were all causes that the Hunter Workers organisation had campaigned for in recent times.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a number of gaps in our manufacturing and our supply chains,” Shears said.
“We relied on overseas products, and subsequently, we saw a number of employers in the industry adjust their practices to suit the pandemic.
“We need governments to support local manufacturing and support secure jobs.”
Shears criticised the uncertainty that accompanied the “increasing cohort of insecure work” nationally, including casual and labour-hire workforces.
He said that on May 1, protestors would campaign for secure jobs that resulted in higher confidence in the national economy.
“We saw the massive job losses at the start of the pandemic, which was primarily casual, insecure work,” Shears said.
“We’ve been campaigning for a decade now around permanent employment and the increase of insecure work and the different ways employers have used to create insecure work.
“We’ve seen the rise of the gig economy and people working from digital platforms—they’re employees, but they’re effectively treated as contractors.”
Shears added that in 2020, for the first time in Australia, insecure employment outnumbered permanent, secure employment.
“For example, across NSW, there are approximately 8780 casual teachers and support staff working for TAFE, and not one of them was offered permanent employment,” he said.
“They all got a standardised letter from TAFE saying they couldn’t offer them full-time employment, although the evidence presented is that most of those workers were working consistent, permanent hours, or over their casual arrangements.”
Shears said that attendees on May 1 would also advocate for improved leave entitlements, such as sick leave, annual leave and more certainty around employment and income.
“A secure job is the central basis of our industrial relations system and a central expectation of people when they think about their career,” he said.
“It’s all based on the certainty of our income—if we don’t have secure jobs, we don’t have the certainty of paying our bills or the certainty to plan our futures and provide opportunities for our families.”
May Day is organised locally by Hunter Workers and was born out of the shorter working hours movement in the early 1800s.
Hunter Workers, formerly known as the Newcastle Trades Hall Council, was established in 1869 and is the longest operating regional trades labour council in Australia.
The May Day March will kick off at 10 am on Sunday, May 1, starting at the Newcastle Museum on 6 Workshop Way.
Maia O’Connor