Militant Labour: Strikes, Protests and Agitation

Public demonstrations and strikes have played a central role in the propagation of union policy from their inception. From the Eight Hour Day strikes and marches of the 1850s to the present day, Victorian unions have used direct and confrontational methods to achieve their aims. The maritime strike of 1890, fought over a small wage rise for workers and the decision of the Maritime Officer’s Association to affiliate with the Trades Hall (which was feared to create amity between workers and officers, jeopardising employer control), supported by Trades Hall representatives and spreading across Australia, caused enormous disruption of international business with at least 50,000 striking workers, and forced the government to arrest numerous workers, as well as call in the military to attend protests. The strike was eventually crushed by police action and the pressures of unemployment, and the maritime officers withdrew their membership at the Trades Hall.[xiv] Railway workers, considered “practically civil servants” due to the public importance and ownership of the railways, in 1903 fought with the government over the right to unionise and affiliate themselves with the Victorian Trades Hall.[xv] These items provide an insight into the methods and movements of unions throughout their history, and the level to which the Trades Hall Council, union leaders, business owners and governments could control the actions of workers. For more on the campaign for an eight-hour day, which continued into the 20th century, see ‘Eight Hours: The Victorian Trades Hall, Australian Unions And The International Labour Movement.’ To find out about unions’ demands for better working conditions, for employment, and for the rights of women, see ‘Living Well: The Fight For Minimum Wage, Living Costs and Fair Working Conditions’ and ‘Women and the Unions: From Tailoresses to Equal Pay.’