South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris said hundreds had walked through the Wollongong CBD in "a fantastic display of worker solidarity".Guest speakers included president of the Copper Miners' Union in Chile, Christian Cuvas, who spoke about the lack of OH&S standards in his country and the battle for reform.
May Day Committee life member Fred Moore provided a history of May Day marches in the region and the fact that even the right to march in Wollongong had been earned.
"The first president of the South Coast Labour Council, Paddy Molloy, was jailed for 12 months for attempting to march at May Day," Mr Rorris said.
"We reflected on the gains of the last 100 years, the fact that the conditions we now enjoy, everything from sick leave through to superannuation, even the funding of Medicare, all of these things have been won through the sacrifices of the trade union movement and the workers who lead it."
Mr Rorris said the march was also about facing the challenges of the future together.
"The overriding message was that we will stand side by side with our traditional industries, and the workers in our new industries and the ones that will come on board in our region.
"No-one will divide our movement; steelworkers will be side by side with our teachers and our university academics and others; we'll face those challenges together.
"The biggest lesson we can learn from our past is that unity is strength."
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