Labour Day – Unions for YES!
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 3, 5 May 2023, page no. 23
What a sight and what a weekend to be a part of! This year’s statewide Labour Day events were a sea of activists who turned up in celebration of workers’ rights and social justice. This year was truly special, thank you.
The key message of Labour Day this year was clearly spelt out on the 2023 QTU Labour Day shirts – Voice. Treaty. Truth.
As we all know, Labour Day celebrations provide the opportunity for unionists to reflect on past achievements and ability to change the course of history. This is even more important in 2023, the year of the Voice to Parliament referendum.
This year, Labour Day enabled participants to show support for the Unions for YES movement and, as unionists, show our solidarity with our First Nations teachers, school leaders, students, and communities. The core message for all trade unions this year is YES to the Voice to Parliament Referendum, through the Unions for Yes campaign.
The Voice to Parliament is an opportunity for unionists to stand alongside First Nations members by voting YES for meaningful change and constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples. By having a Voice to Parliament, First Nations peoples will have a say in the policies and laws that impact them. By having this in the Constitution, it can only be changed via a referendum – not on a whim by subsequent governments.
Unions have always fought for social justice, and the forthcoming referendum will be a huge part of the Union landscape this year. Unionists understand the importance of the collective and of campaigns, and this is what it will take to get #YES23.
Once again, QTU members, thank you for your support of Labour Day and what it means to all of us.
See the next Journal for more coverage of Labour Day 2023.