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Eight Hours Monument

Location Cnr Victoria & Russell Streets,, MELBOURNE VIC 3000 - Property No B5833 File Number B5833 Level State

[1/1] B5833 Eight Hours Day Monument

Statement of Significance

The Eight Hours Monument, solid rather than showy, represents a series of compromises: the base & pediment (design by a respected architect, Peter Kerr, for a different statue) much later joined by a monument designed, because of lack of funds, by stonemasons (the movement's pioneers), and the whole moved from one position to another because of inconvenient tram lines. However, the symbolism of the monument is easily read: the motto 'Labour, Rest, Recreation' encircles the globe, with the '888' clearly shown. The only unexpected aspect to the modern Australian eye is the crown atop the globe although such imperial loyalty would not have been unexpected in its day.
The Eight Hours Monument, celebrating the Eight Hours Movement, has state, national and international significance: the achievement the monument commemorates was important for working people not only in Victoria, but also in the whole of Australia and the world. The Eight Hours Movement was part of the lifting of harsh working conditions brought about by the Industrial Revolution. That this should happen in Melbourne was, at least in part, to Victoria's wealth from the gold strikes and the presence of workers who had emigrated from Britain to escape the opposition to unionism. The eight hour working day in Victoria was gained easily and quickly, without serious opposition from employers, in contrast to other countries where the struggle took much longer.
Classified:18/06/1990
Revised: 04/02/2002