James Gilvray Galloway (28 February 1828 – 3 June 1860) was a Scots-born stonemason and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist who was a leading figure in the successful and influential

eight hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a business day, working day, preventing excesses and abuses. An eight-hour work day has its ori ...

movement in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

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. He was born in

Springfield, Fife Springfield is a village that lies at the edge of the Howe of Fife, to the south-west of the town of Cupar, Fife, Scotland. The origin of the community is thought to be from the linen industry in the 19th century. The Church of Scotland parish ch ...

, Scotland. He worked as a

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

in London, and became a supporter of the

Chartists Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...

before emigrating to Melbourne in 1854. There, he joined with James Stephens to revive the local branch of the Operative Masons’ Association, an early

. On 21 April 1856, they led a march from their construction site at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

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, demanding the introduction of an eight-hour working day, for the same pay as previously for ten hours. I.W.S. "Melbourne's First Labor Day: A Great Celebration", ''The Age'', Melbourne, 6 April 1946, p.9
/ref> "James Stephens: Eight Hour Day Pioneer", ''8hourday.org.au''
Retrieved 20 July 2021 Their employers in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

accepted their demands, and the eight hour day became widely accepted in Australia and started to spread around the world. While initially both Stephens and Galloway were acknowledged as the instigators of the movement, Stephens fell into disfavour among his union colleagues for advocating subcontracting.Jeff Rich, "The Traditions and Significance of the Eight Hour Day for Building Unionists in Victoria, 1856-90", in ''The Time of Their Lives: The Eight Hour Day and Working Life'', edited by Julie Kimber and Peter Love, Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne, 2007, pp.36-38 Galloway became ill and destitute, and died in

Collingwood, Victoria Collingwood is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Collingwood recorded a population of 9,179 at the 2021 ce ...

, in 1860, aged 32. He was buried at

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...

.Garrie Hutchinson, ''In Memoriam: A Guide to the History and Heritage of Victoria’s Cemeteries'', p 37 In 1869 the unions raised funds to provide a monument at Galloway's grave, at which it was said that Galloway had initiated the eight hours movement. "James Galloway", ''Monument Australia''
Retrieved 26 July 2021 Stephens sought to restore his own reputation, and later the roles of Galloway and Stephens were both acknowledged by historians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galloway, James 1828 births 1860 deaths People from Fife Australian stonemasons Trade unionists from Melbourne