May Day Adelaide 2004

Bob Briton

There were relatively small numbers again at this year's May Day 
march and rally in Adelaide. About 400 defied threatening skies 
to carry their banners and flags from Victoria Square to the 
steps of Parliament House.

Jorge Navas of the Health Services Union introduced the speakers 
after the crowd had been warmed up with workers' songs from the 
Trade Union Choir. Jim Green spoke about the decision by the 
Federal Government to build a national waste dump in SA. He 
described the project being foisted on SA and the indigenous Kupa 
Piti Kungka Tjuta and Kokotha people as unnecessary, unwanted, 
unsafe and illegal. An overwhelming majority of South Australians 
agree with the anti-dump campaigner!

CFMEU Construction and General Division Secretary Martin O'Malley 
made an appeal for socialism to be put back on the agenda of the 
labour movement. He pointed out that in 2004 officials of 
building unions were still being threatened with charges of 
"conspiracy" of the same pro-boss type that caused the Tolpuddle 
Martyrs to be transported to Australia in the 19th Century.

He added that the latest "terrorist laws" are similar to the sort 
that eventually made all dissent illegal in Nazi Germany. Only by 
moving forward to socialism can we be sure that such gloomy 
comparisons will not be made in May Day speeches in one hundred 
years time.

Workers' Memorial Ceremony

The family, friends and comrades of the late Jim Mitchell 
gathered at the Workers Memorial at Black Diamond Corner in Port 
Adelaide last Sunday to acknowledge the addition of Jim's name to 
the monument. His name now appears under that of comrade Steve 
Pappas. A wag quipped that Stevie would probably try to sell him 
a Guardian!

The Mayor of Port Adelaide Enfield, Fiona Barr, spoke to the 
gathering about the importance of leaders like Jim and the need 
to defend the gains that the movement had achieved under their 
leadership.

Fellow retired waterfront worker Rex Munn paid tribute to Jim , 
and Jim's daughter May added that the people gathered for the 
ceremony should use the occasion to renew their commitment to the 
cause of the working class.