Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856

On 21 April 1856, stonemasons in Melbourne downed tools and walked off the job in protest over their employers’ refusal to accept their demands for reduced working hours. This brought the employers to the negotiating table and led to an agreement whereby stonemasons worked no more than an eight-hour day. The victory was celebrated on 12 May 1856 in a march from Carlton Gardens to Cremorne Gardens, Richmond. The banner in the sketch above was carried during this march.