The
Maritime Union of Australia covers
waterside workersStevedore, docker, dock labourer and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
, seamen, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n ports. As of 2005 the union has about 10,000 members. It is a local affiliate of the
International Transport Workers' FederationThe International Transport Workers' Federation is a global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. , it has over 600 member organizations in over 140 countries, representing a combined membership of over five million workers.The ITF is allied with the International...
and represents the interests of affiliate members in Australia.
The union resulted from a 1993 merger of the
Seamen's Union of AustraliaThe Seamen's Union of Australia was the principal trade union for merchant seamen in Australia from the 1890s to the 1990s. Australian seamen were forerunners of maritime trade unionism. Efforts to form trade unions amongst merchant seamen trading out of Australian ports can be traced back to the...
and the Waterside Workers Federation, both unions with a strong class sense and history of political and industrial action in the
Australian labour movementThe Australian labour movement has its origins in the early 19th century and includes both trade unions and political activity. At its broadest, the movement can be defined as encompassing the industrial wing, the unions in Australia, and the political wing, the Australian Labor Party and minor...
.
The
Maritime Union of Australia covers
waterside workersStevedore, docker, dock labourer and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
, seamen, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n ports. As of 2005 the union has about 10,000 members. It is a local affiliate of the
International Transport Workers' FederationThe International Transport Workers' Federation is a global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. , it has over 600 member organizations in over 140 countries, representing a combined membership of over five million workers.The ITF is allied with the International...
and represents the interests of affiliate members in Australia.
The union resulted from a 1993 merger of the
Seamen's Union of AustraliaThe Seamen's Union of Australia was the principal trade union for merchant seamen in Australia from the 1890s to the 1990s. Australian seamen were forerunners of maritime trade unionism. Efforts to form trade unions amongst merchant seamen trading out of Australian ports can be traced back to the...
and the Waterside Workers Federation, both unions with a strong class sense and history of political and industrial action in the
Australian labour movementThe Australian labour movement has its origins in the early 19th century and includes both trade unions and political activity. At its broadest, the movement can be defined as encompassing the industrial wing, the unions in Australia, and the political wing, the Australian Labor Party and minor...
. Both unions were involved in early maritime disputes in 1878 and the
1890 Australian maritime disputeThe 1890 Australian Maritime Dispute, commonly known as the 1890 Maritime Strike, was on a scale unprecedented in the Australasian colonies to that point in time, causing political and social turmoil across all Australian colonies and in New Zealand, including the collapse of colonial governments...
.
Waterside Workers History
The Sydney Wharf Labourers' Union was established in 1872. With Federation in 1901 and the impending introduction of an Arbitration system, the Waterside Workers Federation was formed under the leadership of
Billy HughesWilliam Morris Hughes, CH, KC , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia, the longest serving member of the Australian Parliament, and one of the most colourful figures in Australian political history...
in 1902 and became a national
trade unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
. Billy Hughes was expelled from the union in 1916 over Australian Conscription.
In 1917 the
War Precautions Act 1914The War Precautions Act 1914 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia which gave the Government of Australia special powers for the duration of World War I and for six months afterwards.-Provisions:...
was used to defeat a waterside workers nationwide strike by the passing of a regulation that deprived the Waterside Workers Federation of preferences in seven of the busiest ports in Australia.
Dog Collar Act
Waterfront workers were subject to the "bull" labour pick-up system, a system prone to corruption. In 1928 the Waterside Workers Union sought the abolition of the "bull" pickup system in a new award, but Justice Beeby handed down a new award worse than the old, which included double pick-up, cancelled the single pick-up in those ports where it existed and removed restrictions on over-long shifts because they slowed ship turnaround times. Spontaneous industrial action occurred around Australia, with riots in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
, resulting in injuries and arrests and the death of Alan Whittaker, a Gallipoli veteran and union member, shot in the neck from behind.
The
Transport Workers Act 1928In 1928 the Nationalist Commonwealth Government of Stanley Bruce passed the Transport Workers Act which stipulated the engagement, service and discharge of wharfies who now had to have a license, known as the dog collar, to work...
was federal legislation which stipulated the engagement, service and discharge of wharfies who now had to have a license, known as the
dog collar, to work. Non-union labour was brought in to the wharves and a "bosses union" called the Permanent & Casual Wharf Labourers Union of Australia was set up, which almost killed the Waterside Workers Federation. Many members of the Waterside Workers Federation were subject to victimisation for many years. In the late 1930s union officials such as General Secretary Big Jim Healy and
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
Branch Secretary, Ted Englart, swallowed their pride and started organising the P&C workers back into the Waterside Workers Federation, a process not completed until the early 1950s. The union consolidated its strength with the shortage of labour caused by
World War 2World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
1954 strike
In 1954 the Federal Government announced amendments to the
Stevedoring Industry Act which gave stevedoring employers the right to recruit non-union wharf labour. The Waterside Workers Federation went on strike for a fortnight in November 1954. Although the changes were passed, the new legislation was unworkable. In early 1955 a new recruiting agreement was drawn up protecting the union's right to recruit labour with
Harold HoltHarold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician who became the 17th Prime Minister of Australia in 1966. His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December of the following year when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was...
, Minister for Labour and National Service.
WWF Film Unit
In the 1950s the union established its own film unit, which made several films on waterfront working conditions and events. Some of these films, such as
The Hungry Mile, have become documentary classics. The union also commissioned artists, such as
Roy DalgarnoRoy Dalgarno is a social realist artist, born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1910, died February 2001 in Auckland, New Zealand.-Education and Training:* Secondary education at Ballarat Grammar School....
, to document the people and conditions on the waterfront.
Seamen's Union History
The Federated Seamens Union of Australasia was formed in 1876 by the amalgamation of the Sydney Seamen's Union and the Melbourne Seamen's Union, with the
Seamen's Union of AustraliaThe Seamen's Union of Australia was the principal trade union for merchant seamen in Australia from the 1890s to the 1990s. Australian seamen were forerunners of maritime trade unionism. Efforts to form trade unions amongst merchant seamen trading out of Australian ports can be traced back to the...
following in 1906.
From December 1935 to February 1936 there was a long strike against an unsatisfactory
AwardAn award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
and poor working conditions. The strike failed, and the union was left divided and crippled.
1998 Waterfront dispute
Most recently the Maritime Union of Australia was involved in the
1998 Australian waterfront disputeThe Australian waterfront dispute of 1998 was a severe and protracted industrial relations dispute, primarily between the Maritime Union of Australia and Patrick Corporation, a stevedoring and transportation company led by chief executive officer Chris Corrigan...
when
Patrick CorporationPatrick Corporation Ltd was an Australian publicly listed logistics conglomerate. Headed by controversial CEO Chris Corrigan before it was absorbed by Toll Holdings in 2006, Patrick had interests in shipping, rail and aviation, including a 62% shareholding in low-cost airline Virgin Blue...
attempted to sack 1400 waterfront workers across Australia and introduce non-union contract labour.
Julian BurnsideJulian William Kennedy Burnside AO QC is an Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate, and author. He is known for his staunch opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, and has provided legal counsel in a wide array of high-profile cases.He was made an Officer of the...
acted as defence for the MUA.
Notable Officials
Notable officials include:
- Billy Hughes
William Morris Hughes, CH, KC , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia, the longest serving member of the Australian Parliament, and one of the most colourful figures in Australian political history...
- Secretary, Sydney Wharf Labourers Union and Waterside Workers Federation
- Big Jim Healy - General Secretary, Waterside Workers Federation 1937-1961
- Eliot V. Elliott
Eliot Valens Elliott was a trade union leader of the Seamen's Union of Australia from 1941 to 1978. Born in New Zealand, Elliott left school at the age of 15, briefly worked on the New Zealand railways, before becoming a merchant seaman and travelling the world.During the 1920s, Elliott moved to...
- Federal Secretary, Seamens Union of Australia 1941-1978
External links