MAY DAY
CELEBRATING WORKERS’ STRUGGLES & VICTORIES
May Day, or International Workers’ Day, has been a global day of protest, solidarity, and celebration of workers’ rights since 1886. It began with the fight for an eight-hour workday, culminating in the Haymarket Affair in Chicago. Since then, working people around the world have gathered on May 1st to honour past struggles and continue the fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, and social justice.
In South Australia, the SA May Day Collective is a volunteer group committed to keeping this proud tradition alive. Every year, we organise events to bring together unionists, activists, and families to celebrate our collective strength and advocate for a fairer future.
SA May Day – 2025 Events
May Day Rally
📅 12:00pm 1st May
📍 LIGHT SQUARE
Join workers from across South Australia as we take to the streets to celebrate solidarity and working-class power.
Bring your banners, bring your family, and let’s rally together for a better future!
May Day Dinner
📅 1st May
📍 Cypriot Hall
Join us for the annual May Day Dinner, an evening of solidarity, great food, and inspiring speakers. This is a chance for unionists and community members to come together to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the challenges and victories to come.
2025 MAY DAY RED
Every year the SA May Day Collective commissions a bottle of wine with a Label that celebrates working people.
This year’s May Day Red Label ‘For Workers, by Workers’, was designed by comrade Sara Cuellar.
Sara says about the piece: “Denim, as a durable and practical material for manual labour, can be associated with resilience and strength, specially among industrial work. The central piece of joint letters, with a ‘paint stroke’ style conveys our connection and unionism. The red tone creates contrast and the ‘rough’ typeface of the title balances the organic shapes of the handwritten lettering.”
Sara believes that creativity can be sought in the least expected places, as to her, it’s rooted in a sense of curiosity. This is also linked to her in activism, where she keeps asking herself questions and putting herself in other human (and more than human)’s shoes. That way, Sara sees creativity and compassion as two sides of the same coin.
The 2025 May Day Red is available for purchase here.
Collection will be at the 2025 May Day Dinner, or from the SA Unions Office, 254 Waymouth St
Honouring Union Legends:
The May Day Awards
Each year, the SA May Day Collective recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution to the workers’ movement. Nominations are now open for:
🏆 The Spanner Award – Celebrating a lifelong commitment to working people and the May Day Collective. This award honours those who have dedicated their lives to the fight for workers’ rights.
🔥 The Trailblazer Award – Recognising rank-and-file unionists who have never been employed by a union but have been instrumental in their workplace and community activism.