Thursday 2 November 2023

Working Life in the 1890's

 


The first major conflict in the industrial disputes of the 1890's was the so called Maritime Strike that began in August 1890. This had its origins in an agreement in May 1890 between Australian Labour Federation in Queensland. It had to do with some deal between the shearers and pastoralists' unions that no non-union labour would be employed to shear sheep. In August this agreement was broken when pastoralists and they sent wool sheared by non-union labour to the Brisbane waterfront.

Meanwhile members of the Maritime Officers Association were trying to negotiate higher pay, this was somewhat unusual at the time for a larger “white collar” or middle-class profession to form a union, but some marine officers were receiving less then the seamen to whom they gave orders. Shipowners refused to negotiate because the Maritime Officers Association had thrown in with the Melbourne Trades Hall and some thought there was a collusion between shipowners and pastoralists.

On the 16th August the shit hit the fan when the Marine Officers walk off the job in protest, the strike spread to NSW, Vic, SA and New Zealand. In Australia there was around 50,000 people on strike.

The ramifications were extensive with Coal Miners in New South Wales and the Melbourne gasworkers called a strike. Then workers at Broken Hill walked out and this caused a company lock-out.

Some of these on strike would be out for two weeks and others for over two months. By mid September unionists were clashing with non-union labour at the Sydney docks when attempts to load wool shorn by non-union labour onto ships.

The Riot Act was read on 19 September at Circular Quay, the strike dragged on till November.

More to follow................

10 comments:

  1. Sounds similar to what was going on here in the states at that time.

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  2. We've had some violent strikes here, too. Especially back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

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  3. Interesting and I guess that saying, 'I'll read you the riot act' came from this era.

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    1. Yeah my parents use to say that about reading us the riot act and now I know from whence the saying comes

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  4. Seems like unions are always striking in the States, but it isn't violent.

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    Replies
    1. There is always so many strikes in different countries by different unions.

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  5. And now, a pause for suspense! Like it!

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