The Birth of Trade Unionism and the 8-Hour Movement

If you are a worker, then you have a lot to thank the trade union movement for: weekends, paid holiday, sick leave, and that you don’t work sixteen hours per day, to name just a few. These basic rights, which many of us take for granted, were not simply gifted from on high but won through the sacrifice and struggle of countless workers all over the world. We all stand on the shoulders of these men and women who dared to defy what was then enforced to win rights that are now expected. It is vital that we remember the legacy of these fighters and the lessons such militancy offers for our own struggles today.

The first trade unions formed in Britain as early as the 1790s in response to the Industrial Revolution, which created both “dark satanic mills” and the working class enslaved in them. These early unions were illegal, with thousands of trade unionists executed or deported, but the movement of workers banding together to demand better conditions could not—and cannot—be repressed by state force. It successfully won legal status in the 1830s. The unions went on to new heights with the Chartist movement, the first working-class political movement demanding reforms like universal suffrage and going as far as armed uprisings in Merthyr (1831), from which we get the red flag, and Newport (1839) to achieve them.

But the story of trade unionism is not confined to one country; in fact, it is inherently international. Wherever there are workers and bosses, there is a tension between them. Workers in all parts of the world face similar conditions and look to trade unionism as a way to stand up for themselves, fostering bonds of solidarity, offering practical support, and being inspired by one another's achievements.

The early trade union movement in Australia (coincidentally where many British trade unionists were deported) is one such example. The 1850s saw the beginnings of a gold rush, which meant both brutal and genocidal war against the Indigenous peoples and a huge influx of desperate people from all over the world in search of riches. The sudden increase in population meant the demand for skilled construction workers was sky-high, giving these workers significant bargaining power.

In August 1855, in Sydney, a local union—the Stonemasons’ Society—sent an ultimatum to bosses declaring that after six months, stonemasons in the city would only work an eight-hour day. This was totally unheard of at the time. In Europe, the working day was still between 10 and 16 hours, and child labour was rife. Despite this, workers were strongly mobilised around the slogan “8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest,” and some were so sure of their success that they decided not to wait for the six-month deadline. Instead, they downed tools and went on strike unexpectedly in late September. This caught the bosses completely off guard, forcing them to come to the table and give in to all demands, including, for the first time, the eight-hour day.

News of this victory spread and spurred more strikes over the following years in other Australian cities, particularly Melbourne. By 1858, the eight-hour day was commonplace across the construction industry, inspiring workers in other sectors to fight for the same—though even in Australia, it took many more decades of struggle to be fully realised.

The effect of the 1855 Sydney stonemasons’ strike was not just felt in Australia—it raised the sights of workers everywhere, showing what was possible if only they were organised and militant enough. The victory kick-started the eight-hour movement worldwide, which would eventually lead to International Workers’ Day on 1st May—but that is a story for another time.