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57-687: The Australian Council of Trade Unions ( ACTU ), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions , is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia . It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and labour councils. The ACTU is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation . The President of the ACTU is Michele O'Neil , who was elected on 28 July 2018. The current Secretary

114-517: A campaign calling for a levy to be imposed on non-union workers after the union was able to raise wages through collective bargaining. In Australia, agitation for One Big Union took place from 1911 from two different sectors: from the revolutionary Australian section of the IWW and from the pro- arbitration Australian Workers Union (AWU). At that time the AWU was the largest single Australian union. In 1918 after

171-461: A decree "Provisional Regulations for factories" as early as in 1923, stating "Child-laborers shall not work more than 8 hours per day and shall have 3 days of rest per week; while adult laborers shall not work more than 10 hours per day and shall have 2 days of rest per week." After the successful Northern Expedition , the new Nanking government established the Bureau of Labor in 1928, followed by issuing

228-658: A vast wave of strikes occurred in 1919, supported by the National Workers' Union, the biggest labour union organisation at the time. The workers achieved important objectives, including the historic victory of an eight-hour day. In the Soviet Union , the eight-hour day was introduced four days after the October Revolution , by a Decree of the Soviet government in 1917 and later in 1928 and 1940–1957 ( World War II ). In

285-505: Is Sally McManus . The objectives of the ACTU, found in its constitution, are: The ACTU holds a biennial congress that is attended by approximately 800 delegates from affiliated organisations. Between congresses the ACTU is governed by an executive of 60 members: the president, the two vice-presidents, the secretary, the assistant secretaries, Trades and Labour Council representatives from each capital city and elected delegates from affiliated unions. The ACTU's main current campaigns include

342-578: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement ) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day , preventing excesses and abuses of working time . The modern movement originated in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life. At that time,

399-566: Is also attended to ensure their health and conservation. — Recopilación de leyes de los reinos de las indias. Mandadas a Imprimir y Publicar por la majestad católica del rey Don Carlos II, nuestro señor. Libro Tercero. An exception was applied to mine workers, whose work day was limited to seven hours. These working conditions were also applied to natives in the Spanish America , who also kept their own legislation organized in "Indian republics" where they elected their own mayors. In

456-538: Is no official granting of Peak Body status, peak bodies are widely accepted as the legitimate "voice" or representative of a profession or industry, as opposed to just a geographic/commercial/cultural/political subset of that profession, as evidenced by requests for media comment and inclusion in government consultations. They often have to present codes of conduct or ethics which can be used in legal cases determining negligence, can conduct industry-focused lobbying, and also can be providers of mandatory industry training. In

513-461: Is starting the new 8-hour work schedule immediately. The workers were elated. The union representative Liu Dongjiang (Chinese: 劉東江 ) stated "Under the spirit of cooperation, laborers and factory owners work together to advance the business, and in turn to contribute to our nation's development." A celebration was held on the same day in the courtyard of the factory. The new schedule was called "3–8 schedule". The first shift worked 6 am – 2 pm;

570-471: The 1835 Philadelphia general strike , the first general strike in North America, led by Irish coal heavers. Their banners read, From 6 to 6, ten hours work and two hours for meals. Labor movement publications called for an eight-hour day as early as 1836. Boston ship carpenters, although not unionized, achieved an eight-hour day in 1842. In 1864, the eight-hour day quickly became a central demand of

627-619: The Australian Labor Party : former ACTU President Bob Hawke went on to become the leader of the ALP and then Prime Minister of Australia . Other former ACTU Presidents who went on to become members of Federal Parliament are: Simon Crean (president 1985–90), Martin Ferguson (1990–96), Jennie George (1996–99), and Ged Kearney (2010–18). The November 2007 election win by the Labor Party, saw

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684-515: The Chicago labor movement. The Illinois General Assembly passed a law in early 1867 granting an eight-hour day but it had so many loopholes that it was largely ineffective. A citywide strike that began on 1 May 1867 shut down the city's economy for a week before collapsing. In August 1866, the National Labor Union at Baltimore passed a resolution that said, "The first and great necessity of

741-592: The Constitution of 1917 , which contained Article 123 that gave workers the right to organise labour unions and to strike. It also provided protection for women and children, the eight-hour day, and a living wage. See Mexican labor law . In the United States, Philadelphia carpenters went on strike in 1791 for the ten-hour day. By the 1830s, this had become a general demand. In 1835, workers in Philadelphia organised

798-690: The Council of White Collar Associations (1954), which amalgamated with the Salaried Employees Consultative Council of New South Wales (1954) to become the Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations (ACSPA) in 1956. The government employee bodies were: the Council of Commonwealth Public Service Organisations (1969) which became the Council of Australian Government Employee Organisations (CAGEO) in 1975. The ACTU successfully integrated these bodies in 1981. After 1981

855-533: The Labor Council of New South Wales (originally formed in 1870 as the 'Sydney Trades and Labor Council') and the Inter-Colonial Trade Union Congress (formed in 1879). From 1948 peak bodies of white collar associations existed, and from 1969 peak bodies of government employees. The white collar bodies were: the Council of Professional and Commercial Employees Association (1948), which became

912-510: The "Factory Law" in 1929 to set legal framework for the eight-hour working day. Yet, no business actually implemented this until 1930 by Baocheng Cotton Mill. The eight-hour work day was introduced in Belgium on 9 September 1924. The eight-hour work day was introduced by law in Denmark on 17 May 1919, after a year-long campaign by workers. As a result of large-scale demonstrations and strikes in

969-520: The "G" , attended by 50,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and broadcast to other similar rallies throughout the country. A previous national rally had a reported attendance of 500,000 around Australia. Eight trade and labour councils are affiliated with the ACTU: In 2024, a number of blue-collar trade unions disaffiliated with the ACTU. Peak body While there

1026-454: The 2nd shift 2 pm – 10 pm; the 3rd shift 10 pm – 6 am. Manager Wu Jingyi reasoned: "All of the factories now have a 12-hour work schedule. Workers are all exhausted and do not have time to take care of their families. In case of workers getting sick, the business also suffers. Therefore we decided to start trying the eight-hour working day". The Beiyang government in Beijing had issued

1083-705: The 48 hour limit. A general 8 hour limit to the working day has never been achieved in the UK. By the end of the 20th century, many people considered themselves to be "money-rich, time-poor". The labour movement in Canada tracked progress in the US and UK. In 1890, the Federation of Labour took up this issue, hoping to organise participation in May Day . In the 1960s, Canada adopted the 40-hour work week. The Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920 produced

1140-506: The ACTU is also running a number of other campaigns, including workplace health and safety, working with other unions on the Your Rights at Telstra campaign and supporting the Rights on Site campaign. The ACTU has also launched a service by which workers can join their applicable union directly through the ACTU. This self-titled "one stop shop" for union membership is Australian Unions. In 2008,

1197-612: The ACTU launched a campaign to make paid maternity leave a new national employment standard. In 2011, the ACTU launched a campaign to address the spread of casual, contract and other forms of insecure work in Australian workplaces. Part of this involved an inquiry into insecure work. In 2023, the ACTU and other big unions including the Health Services Union, and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union began

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1254-462: The ACTU was generally viewed by the Australian media and public as the organisation representing all workers' organisations. The ACTU and Labour Councils have often united Australian working class opinion behind certain initiatives like the eight-hour day or compulsory arbitration . In the early 1980s this unifying impulse created the Prices and Incomes Accord . The ACTU retains a close relationship with

1311-645: The American Viceroyalties by a royal edict known as Ordenanzas de Felipe II , or Ordinances of Philip II. This established: Ley VI Que los obreros trabajen 8 horas al día repartidas como convenga. Todos los obreros trabajaran ocho horas al día, cuatro á la mañana, y cuatro á la tarde en fortificaciones y fábricas, que se hicieren, repartidas á los tiempos más convenientes para librarse del rigor del sol, más o menos lo que á los ingenieros pareciere, de forma que no faltando un punto de lo posible, también se atienda à procurar su salud y conservación. Law VI That

1368-771: The action were felt nationwide and inspired further industrial action at the Kawasaki and Mitsubishi shipyards in 1921. The eight-hour day did not become law in Japan until the passing of the Labor Standards Act in April 1947. Article 32 (1) of the Act specifies a 40-hour week and paragraph (2) specifies an eight-hour day, excluding rest periods. In Indonesia , the first policy regarding working time regulated in Law No. 13 of 2003 about employment. In

1425-553: The campaign to win paid pandemic leave for all workers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the For the workers campaign to oppose Commonwealth Government proposals to change Australian workplace laws, and the promotion of a Working from Home Charter. Following the 2007 Australian federal election , the ACTU's primary focus was the campaign to restore workers rights under the banner of the Your Rights at Work campaign. In addition to this campaign

1482-692: The collapse of the Australian IWW, a group of militant trade unions (which were opposed to the AWU) attempted to form One Big Union under the name Workers Industrial Union of Australia (WIUA). The hostility between the WIUA and the AWU prevented the formation of One Big Union in Australia. The ACTU was formed as the Australasian Council of Trade Unions in 1927 and was one of the earliest attempts by trade unions to apply

1539-493: The commercial sector they allow competing companies to meet to discuss common issues without the risk of breaching the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 which outlaws collusion between competitors which would affect the operation of a free market . Notable examples of Australia-wide organisations include: Notable examples of Australian state-based organisations include: This article about an organisation in Australia

1596-510: The early 19th century, Robert Owen raised the demand for a ten-hour day in 1810, and instituted it in his "socialist" enterprise at New Lanark . By 1817, he had formulated the goal of the eight-hour day and coined the slogan: "Eight hours' labour, Eight hours' recreation, Eight hours' rest". Women and children in England were granted the ten-hour day via the Factories Act 1847 . French workers won

1653-460: The early and mid twentieth century for the condition to be widely achieved through the industrialised world through legislative action. The International Workingmen's Association took up the demand for an eight-hour day at its Congress in Geneva in 1866, declaring "The legal limitation of the working day is a preliminary condition without which all further attempts at improvements and emancipation of

1710-553: The early history for the celebration of May Day , and Labour Day in some countries. Tata Steel was among the first Indian companies to provide various labour welfare benefits, such as eight-hour workdays since 1912, free medical care since 1915, school facilities for the children of employees since 1917, paid time off since 1920, formation of a provident fund and accident compensation in 1920, vocational training since 1921, maternity benefits since 1928, profit sharing bonuses since 1934, and retiring gratuity since 1937 In Iran in 1918,

1767-526: The eight-hour day as a key goal. The British Fabian socialist economist Sidney Webb and the scholar Harold Cox co-wrote a book supporting the "Eight Hours Movement" in Britain. The first group of Workers to achieve the 8-hour day were the Beckton [ East London ] Gas workers after the strike under the leadership of Will Thorne , a member of the Social Democratic Federation. The strike action

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1824-425: The election of a number of union officials to the parliament (Commonwealth) including Bill Shorten (Australian Workers Union) and Greg Combet (former ACTU Secretary). In the late 1980s and early 1990s the ACTU was influential in a move to forcibly amalgamate smaller unions into so called "super unions". The ACTU's plans envisaged 20 super unions organised on an industrial basis. While many amalgamations occurred in

1881-464: The first country in the world to introduce a universal law effective on all type of works, restricting the workday to a maximum of eight hours: "Real decreto de 3 de abril de 1919", signed by the prime minister, Álvaro de Figueroa, 1st Count of Romanones . Average work hours per week for manufacturing employees in Sweden was 64 hours in 1885, 60 hours in 1905, and 55 hours in 1919. The eight-hour work day

1938-534: The first two extra hours, and 200% salary if the work day exceeds 10 hours. The eight-hour day was enacted in France by Georges Clemenceau , as a way to avoid unemployment and diminish communist support. It was succeeded by a strong French support of it during the writing of the International Labour Organization Convention of 1919. The first German company to introduce the eight-hour day

1995-642: The governor of Kerman , Sistan and Balochistan , which controlled the working conditions and working hours for workers of carpet workshops in the province. In 1946, the council of ministers issued the first labor law for Iran, which recognized the eight-hour day. Theodor Herzl 's The Jewish State proposed a 7-hour day for the Jewish Company that would implement the initial stages of the Jewish homeland . The first company to introduce an eight-hour working day in Japan

2052-624: The late 1920s. In Hungary , the eight-hour work day was introduced on 14 April 1919 by decree of the Revolutionary Governing Council . The eight-hour work day was introduced by law in Italy on 17 April 1925. The Factory Act of 1915 introduced a 10-hour workday. In Poland , the eight-hour day was introduced 23 November 1918 by decree of the cabinet of the Prime Minister Jędrzej Moraczewski . In Portugal

2109-457: The late 1980s and early 1990s (in part under the influence of changed industrial law), there are still many unions, and union coverage is often organised by historical amalgamation, not by industry. In the lead up to the 2007 federal election, the ACTU campaigned actively against the Howard government 's WorkChoices legislation, which included an advertising campaign and public rallies. This campaign

2166-569: The late 19th and early 20th century, the former Czechoslovakia , now Czechia and Slovakia , introduced the eight-hour workday on 19 December 1918. The eight-hour work day was established in Finland in 1917 as a result of the November general strike. According to the law accepted in late 1917, maximum work day was 8 hours and maximum work week 47 hours. Five-day work week was established gradually between 1966 and 1970. A worker receives 150% payment from

2223-475: The law, it stated that a worker should work for 7 hours a day for 6 days a week or 8 hours a day for 5 days a week, excluding rest periods. In China , the first company to introduce the eight-hour working day was the Baocheng Cotton Mill in the port city of Tianjin (Chinese: 天津市寶成紗廠 ). Its manager Wu Jingyi (Chinese: 吳鏡儀 ) announced on 16 February 1930 through Ta Kung Pao that his factory

2280-657: The modern GMB union. Working hours in the UK are currently not limited by day, but by week, as first set by the Working Time Regulations 1998 , which introduced a limit of 40 hours per week for workers under 18, and 48 hours per week for over 18s. This was in line with the European Commission Working Time Directive of 1993. UK regulations now follow the EC Working Time Directive of 2003 , but workers can voluntarily opt out of

2337-412: The newly organised union staged a 14-day strike and succeeded in reaching a collective agreement with employers to institute the eight-hours day, overtime pay, and medical care. The success of the printers' union encouraged other trades to organize. In 1919 the bakers and textile-shop clerks formed their own trade unions. However the eight-hour day only became code by a limited governor's decree on 1923 by

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2394-424: The premature exhaustion and death of this labour power itself." On 17 November 1915, Uruguay adopted an eight-hour working day, under the government of José Batlle y Ordóñez . Nevertheless, the law was not effective on all type of works. On 3 April 1919, Spain introduced a universal law effective on all type of works, restricting the workday to a maximum of eight hours. The "Real decreto de 3 de abril de 1919"

2451-533: The principles of One Big Union earlier explored by more radical syndicalist unions like the CNT or revolutionary industrial unions like the IWW. The ACTU has not achieved the ideals expressed for One Big Union: it remains a council organisation, but it does however represent the majority of Australian trade unions. At its formation in 1927 the ACTU was only seen as representing blue collar trades unions, and only managed to achieve

2508-611: The region of Alcoy , a workers strike in 1873 for the eight-hour day followed much agitation from the anarchists . In 1919 in Barcelona , after a 44-day general strike with over 100,000 participants had effectively crippled the Catalan economy, the Government settled the strike by granting all the striking workers demands that included an eight-hour day, union recognition, and the rehiring of fired workers. Therefore, Spain became on 3 April 1919

2565-572: The support of trades unions. Attempts of Nationalist Stanley Bruce 's federal government in 1927 to dismantle the Australian Industrial Relations Commission impelled Australian trade unions to form a national council. The ACTU's Australian trade union "peak body" precursors include state labour councils like the Victorian Trades Hall Council (originating in 1856 as the 'Melbourne Trades Hall Committee'),

2622-601: The twelve-hour day after the February Revolution of 1848 . A shorter working day and improved working conditions were part of the general protests and agitation for Chartist reforms and the early organisation of trade unions. There were initial successes in achieving an eight-hour day in New Zealand and by the Australian labour movement for skilled workers in the 1840s and 1850s, though most employed people had to wait to

2679-617: The work day for children in factories. Those aged 9–13 could work only eight hours, 14–18 twelve hours. Children under 9 were required to attend school. In 1884, Tom Mann joined the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) and published a pamphlet calling for the working day to be limited to eight hours. Mann formed an organisation, the Eight Hour League, which successfully pressured the Trades Union Congress to adopt

2736-574: The work of reorganizing the trade unions began in earnest in Tehran during the closure of the Iranian constitutional parliament Majles . The printers' union, established in 1906 by Mohammad Parvaneh as the first trade union, in the Koucheki print shop on Nasserieh Avenue in Tehran , reorganized their union under leadership of Russian-educated Seyed Mohammad Dehgan, a newspaper editor and an avowed Communist. In 1918,

2793-417: The workers work eight hours a day distributed as appropriate. All the workers will work eight hours a day, four in the morning, and four in the afternoon in fortifications and factories, which [The hours] are to be made, distributed at the most convenient times to get rid of the rigor of the sun, [and] more or less what seems to [be right to] the engineers, so that not missing a point of the possible [work], it

2850-498: The working class must prove abortive", and "The Congress proposes eight hours as the legal limit of the working day." Karl Marx saw it as of vital importance to the workers' health, writing in Das Kapital (1867): "By extending the working day, therefore, capitalist production...not only produces a deterioration of human labour power by robbing it of its normal moral and physical conditions of development and activity, but also produces

2907-421: The working day could range from 10 to 16 hours, the work week was typically six days, and child labour was common. In 1919, Spain became the first country to introduce the eight-hour work day by law for factory and fortification workers. It was first established for non-agricultural workers by Uruguay in 1915. In 1594, Philip II of Spain established an eight-hour work day for the construction workers in

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2964-584: Was Degussa in 1884. The eight-hour day for industrial workers was signed into law during the German Revolution of 1918 by the new Social Democratic government. The eight-hour day was a concession to the workers' and soldiers' soviets , and was unpopular among industrialists. A 12-hour day was reintroduced by a right-wing government during the occupation of the Ruhr and subsequent hyperinflation crisis in 1923. The Labour Ministry eventually shortened wages in

3021-442: Was initiated on 31 March 1889 after the introduction of compulsory 18-hour shifts, up from the previous 12 hours. Under the slogan of "shorten our hours to prolong our lives" the strike spread to other gas works. He petitioned the bosses and after a strike of some weeks, the bosses capitulated and three shifts of 8 hours replaced two shifts of 12 hours. Will Thorne founded the Gas Workers and General Labourers Union , which evolved into

3078-484: Was introduced into law in Sweden on 4 August 1919, going into effect on 1 January 1920. At the time, the work week was 48-hour since Saturday was a workday. The year before, 1918, the builders’ union had pushed through a 51-hour work week. The Social Democratic Party was the main driver behind the eight-hour workday. Once full male suffrage was implemented in Sweden, the parliament passed legislation to introduce an eight-hour workday. The Factory Act of 1833 limited

3135-402: Was originally called "Your Rights at Work" but is now known as "Secure Jobs. Better Future" and was considered a success in making industrial relations an important election issue by both marketing companies and even Joe Hockey MP, the Federal Workplace Relations Minister, who said "This is the most sophisticated political plan that we have seen in Australia.". One of the rallies was called Fill

3192-522: Was signed by the prime minister, Álvaro de Figueroa, 1st Count of Romanones . The first international treaty to mention it was the Treaty of Versailles in the annex of its thirteenth part establishing the International Labour Office, now the International Labour Organization . The eight-hour day was the first topic discussed by the International Labour Organization which resulted in the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 ratified by 52 countries as of 2016. The eight-hour day movement forms part of

3249-491: Was the Kawasaki Dockyards in Kobe (now the Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation ). An eight-hour day was one of the demands presented by the workers during pay negotiations in September 1919. After the company resisted the demands, a slowdown campaign was commenced by the workers on 18 September. After ten days of industrial action, company president Kōjirō Matsukata agreed to the eight-hour day and wage increases on 27 September, which became effective from October. The effects of

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