Hunt, Douglas William (1979) A history of the labour movement in north Queensland: trade unionism, politics and industrial conflict, 1900-1920. PhD thesis, James Cook University of North Queensland.

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Abstract

This study of the labour movement in North Queensland describes the evolution, organisation and nature of trade unionism and working-class politics from 1900 to 1920.

In 1905, following a period of recession and disorganisation, Queensland trade unions began to recover and expand. In the North, unionism was embraced by sugar workers, miners, meatworkers, wharf labourers, railway workers and general labourers. The Amalgamated Workers' Association [AWA] was of particular significance, stimulating the general spread of unionism and inspiring active union involvement in Labor Party politics. Despite a militant reputation epitomised by the 1911 sugar strike, the AWA, like other northern unions, adopted a consistently pragmatic approach to both industrial and political issues. This approach was rewarded by the election of a state Labor government in 1915 and subsequent legislation benefiting unions and unionists.

The unity of the labour movement, however, was increasingly strained by the economic, political and social impact of the first world war. A significant section of unionists became both increasingly militant and more inclined to socialist beliefs. After 1916 industrial conflict occurred frequently on the wharves ' and in the mines, sugar fields, railways and, especially, the meatworks of the North. Strikes such as the 1917 northern rail strike, the 1918 Townsville sanitary workers' strike and the 1919 Townsville meatworkers' strike confirmed the region's public notoriety for industrial disorder and turbulent, radical unionism. Historians have also argued that the labour movement in North Queensland evinced a peculiar tendency towards industrial militancy and political radicalism. In exploring the historical basis for this reputation, the thesis concludes that although the magnitude and frequency of strikes indicates the militancy - the propensity to take direct industrial action - of many northern workers, the evidence for any special support for socialism in the North is much less substantial.

Item ID:	84116
Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Keywords:	Labour movement; Trade unions; Amalgamated Workers' Association; North Queensland; World War I; Conscription; Workers
Copyright Information:	Copyright © 1979 Douglas William Hunt
Date Deposited:	09 Dec 2024 23:59
FoR Codes:	43 HISTORY, HERITAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 4303 Historical studies > 430302 Australian history @ 25% 44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4408 Political science > 440801 Australian government and politics @ 50% 44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4404 Development studies > 440403 Labour, migration and development @ 25%
SEO Codes:	23 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 2302 Government and politics > 230299 Government and politics not elsewhere classified @ 25% 23 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 2305 Work and labour market > 230599 Work and labour market not elsewhere classified @ 25% 13 CULTURE AND SOCIETY > 1307 Understanding past societies > 130703 Understanding Australia’s past @ 50%
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