Workers Day, or May Day, is celebrated in many parts of the world today, recognizing the history of working people to create a better life for them and their families.
One of Australia’s oldest unions, the Australian Workers Union (AWU) has recently criticized big supermarkets for “abuse of their market power.” Workers claim that from picking fruit and vegetables to sorting at the packhouse and stocking shelves, many still battle “poor wages and conditions.”
The union says Coles and Woolworths dominate Australia’s supermarket industry, “giving them vast power over workers at every link in the grocery supply chain.” AWU says many suppliers are “squeezed so thin, there’s no capacity to offer higher wages.”
Earlier in April, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced planned reforms to existing merger laws. This would come into effect in 2026, with proposed merger transactions above a certain threshold that must be notified to the ACCC.
The AWU fully supports these merger rules, claiming it’s the first step to “tackling abuse of market power” in supermarkets and other industries.
The Australian Federal Government has plans to see certain transactions require “prior approval of the ACCC.” Russell Kennedy Lawyers says that under the current laws, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) can seek to prevent a merger, which will likely substantially lessen competition.
The history of Workers Day
In April 1856, workers marched to Parliament House to push for an eight-hour workday. A 48-hour week was eventually reached. New work regulations were recognized in NSW, followed by Queensland in 1858 and South Australia in 1875.
A victory march was held on 12 May that year and each year after that. In1856 the new work regulations were recognized in NSW, followed by Queensland in 1858 and South Australia in 1873. Tasmania caught on to the latest rules a year later.
In 1879, the Victorian government proclaimed a public holiday, during which workers would still get paid. Meetings were held in Melbourne to celebrate this large May Day. The local newspaper referred to the day as May Day.
May Day is internationally celebrated when unions gather at central city points to remember their struggle for improved wages.
Australia’s job market
The latest available data from the Australian government (February 2024) indicates that restaurants, cafes, and food delivery services recorded the second-largest falls in employment. There was a 1.3% drop in employment figures.
Recruiting the right people for the jobs is also tricky. The report states that the food services industry experienced the “greatest decrease in recruitment difficulty.” It has declined by 27 percentage points over the year.
US employment in logistics
Employment uncertainty remains in the US supply chain, logistics, and delivery sector. In recent months, Microsoft, Google, and Meta had to let employees go. There is still no clarity over the rumors that 12,000 UPS workers might be on the chopping block this year.
The uncertainty continues to play out in the background, although there is no new update on whether these layoffs will continue.
NewsNation reports 1.6 million layoffs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s slightly higher than the same period the previous year. The unemployment rate is still near a 50-year low.
About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
