Union History Blog
The Metal Workers win the 38-hour week
December 7, 2021
On 8 December 1981, unionists in the metal industry voted to end a long industrial…
“Pig Iron Bob” and the 1938 Port Kembla strike
November 11, 2021
On 15 November 1938, dockers at Port Kembla (near Wollongong), members of the Waterside Workers’…
The Harvester Judgement and the basic wage
November 4, 2021
On 8 November 1907 HB Higgins, the President of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Court,…
Brian Manning: a life in the struggle
November 2, 2021
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
Why Nelson Mandela thanked the Australian union movement
October 25, 2021
On the 25th of October, 1990, Nelson Mandela delivered a thank you speech to the…
The 1916 campaign against conscription
October 13, 2021
On the 28th of October, 1916, the union-led campaign against conscription for overseas service won…
Zelda D’Aprano’s Equal Pay protest
On 21 October 1969, legendary union activist Zelda D’Aprano chained herself to the doors of…
West Gate Bridge collapse
Today we commemorate one of the worst industrial disasters in Australia’s history: the collapse of…
1963: The ACTU backs the campaign for wage equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers
September 28, 2021
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
Henry Lawson: the workers’ poet
Today we are commemorating Henry Lawson, who in the late nineteenth century was a superstar…