Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856

University of Melbourne site where Stonemasons won the 8 hour day in 1856

The history of the Australian labour movement reaches back to the 19th century and the movement has a long tradition of organised unions of workers and links to political activity. Over time the term has encompased both the notion of an "industrial wing" which is comprised of the union movement and a "political wing" or the Australian Labor Party. Image File history File links Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856. ... Image File history File links Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856. ... Image File history File links Eight_hour_day_1856. ... Image File history File links Eight_hour_day_1856. ... The University of Melbourne   The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, behind the University of Sydney, and is one of the countrys most prestigious universities. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ...

Currently, the mainstream of the union movement is comprised of those unions that are affiliated to the Australian Council of Trade Unions. These unions are commonly the product of a significant process of ammalgamation undertaken in the late 1980s and early 1990's. The Australian labour movement has a long history that has at various times been more or less fractured than it is today. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak national body representing workers in Australia. ...

Early history

Craft unions in Australia began in the early 19th century as craft associations of highly skilled urban workers who sought to combine (form a labour union), to increase their wages and lower their hours. Craft unionism, or sometimes trade unionism, is a labor union organizing method by which labor unions are divided along the lines of workers specific trades, regardless of what industry they work in. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

Conditions of the time were governed by the Master and Servant Act. Employees in Australia in 1840 who left their employment without permission were subject to being hunted down under the Bushrangers Act. As little as one hour’s absence by a free servant without permission could precipitate a punishment of prison or the treadmill. In the Melbourne jurisdiction, in the years 1835 to 1845, when labour shortages were acute, over 20% of prison inmates were convicted under the New South Wales Master and Servent Act for offences including leaving place of work without permission and being found in hotels. The Master and Servants Act was the culmination of a series of laws designed to regulate relations between employers and employees during the 18th and 19th centuries, although heavily biased on the employers terms. ...

On April 21, 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an Eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organised workers in the world to achieve an 8 hour day, with no loss of pay. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of approximately 3. ... Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 The Eight-hour day movement, also known as the Short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. ...

Trades Halls

See also: Trades Hall and Labour council Trades Hall is a building in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Labour Council (Canada, Australia), also known as Labor Council (USA), Trades Council or Trades Union Council (TUC) (UK), and Trades and Labour Council (TLC) or Industrial Council (Australia), is a representative labour federation at the district, city, region, or provincial or state level. ...

During 1856 Melbourne Trades Hall Committee was formed and received a grant of land to build the Melbourne Trades Hall, which was completed in 1859. The Trades and Labor Council of Sydney was formed by eight unions in 1871, and Sydney Trades Hall was built between 1888 and 1895. The United Trades and Labour Council of South Australia has a history dating back to 1884. The Victorian Trades Hall Council is a representative body of trade union organisations in the State of Victoria, Australia. ... Melbourne Trades Hall entrance on Lygon Street Melbourne Trades Hall is a Trades Hall building located in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and home to the Victorian Trades Hall Council. ... The Labor Council of New South Wales is a representative body of Trade union organisations in the State of New South Wales, Australia. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Sydney Trades Hall is the historic Trades Hall in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The United Trades and Labour Council of South Australia, also known as SA Unions, is a representative body of trade union organisations, known as a Labour council, in the State of South Australia. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ...

1890s Great Strikes

As the craft union movement broadened, less skilled and rural workers began to organise. Four great strikes convulsed the continent of Australia in this period: the 1890 Maritime strike; the 1891 Shearers strike; the 1892 Broken Hill Miners strike; and the 1894 Shearers strike. When a large number of sheep shearers in Queensland struck against poor conditions and wages that were being lowered, the Queensland police responded with violence and broke up the strike. Each of these industrial conflicts was seen as a demoralising blow for the labour movement. William Lane and many others sought refuge in building a new society called New Australia in Paraguay. Others in the labour movement, demoralised with direct action, turned to a political solution and sought election to parliaments using manhood suffrage, thus resulting in the formation of the Australian Labor Party. The 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 in the colonies of Victoria... The 1891 Shearers Strike is one of Australias oldest and most important industrial disputes. ... A sheep shearer is a worker who uses blade or machine shears to remove the wool from sheep. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... William Lane (1861-1917) was a pioneer of the Australian labour movement. ... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ... Suffrage is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ...

Friendly Societies

The early labour movement was much broader than trade unions. As there was no social welfare, many workers and their famillies were members of a Friendly society to insure against sickness, accident or unemployment. In fact, Unions had a far smaller membership than did Friendly Societies in Australia, according to Green and Cromwell. They explain that "At the turn of the (twentieth) century, when the friendly societies were serving well over 30 per cent of the population, fewer than one worker in ten (2.5 per cent of the total population) was a trade union member." (Mutual Aid or Welfare State. Australia's Friendly Societies). Reports of community events and labour processions regularly detailed the active participation of trade societies and friendly societies. Friendly societies were an important part of the Labour movement, but their contribution has mostly been ignored by Labour Historians, according to a researcher in this field, Dr Bob James. A friendly society (sometimes called a mutual society, benevolent society or fraternal organization) is a mutual association for insurance-like purposes, and often, especially in the past, serving ceremonial and friendship purposes also. ...

Growth of the trade and industrial unions

At the beginning of the 20th century the union movement was in disarray across Australia. Only a few tough craft unions had survived. The majority of workers were un-unionised. A variety of skilled organisers turned this around, and achieved remarkably high union membership density rates by 1914.

The threats of wild cat industrial action on a national level convinced the Federal Parliament to adopt a system of compulsory registration of unions, and compulsory arbitration in disputes. This system came into place in 1906 and dictated the terrain of industrial relations conflicts and unionism until the 1990s. Binomial name Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775 The Wild Cat (Felis silvestris) is a small predator native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. ...

In part this was caused by two new ideas of unionism: trade unionism and industrial unionism. Trade unionists sought to organise all people engaged in the same trade on job sites. Rather than simply organising the ditch diggers into one craft union and the dirt movers into another craft union, trade unionists sought to organise all people who moved earth into one union. A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union -- regardless of skill or trade -- thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations. ...

Industrial unionism went one step further, claiming that all workers on one worksite, diggers, plasterers, engine drivers, cleaners, caterers, engineers, accountants and clerks should belong to one union, as part of a "construction industry." Industrial unionists sought to organise all workers into One Big Union which could then conduct a strike across the entire society and peacefully usher in socialism. The 1912 Brisbane General Strike showed the combined power of the labour movement, effectively operating as an alternative social administration for five weeks, undermining the power of the conservative government. The One Big Union was a concept which emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century amongst working class trade unionists. ... Illustration from the Brisbane Worker newspaper condemning the brutality of the Queensland Police on Black Friday The 1912 Brisbane General Strike in Queensland, Australia, began when members of the Australian Tramway Employees Association were dismissed when they wore union badges to work on 18 January 1912. ...

At the time there was no real conflict or division between the trade and industrial union mentality. Many supporters of the ALP in the Trades and Labour Councils were radical, militant and supported socialism. Both ideas of unionism shared the idea of organising the unskilled to win against the bosses. Trades Hall is a building in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

The Labour Movement and World War I

The chief proponent of industrial unionism in Australia was the Industrial Workers of the World, which actively sought out conflicts with management. The IWW also acted on a political plane, opposing boyhood conscription, then the first world war. The Australian labour movement united around opposition to conscription, largely due to vocal opposition by the IWW and Catholic archbishop of Melbourne, Daniel Mannix. Two referendum proposals to introduce conscription by Labor Prime Minister Billy Hughes were defeated, making Australia the only nation at war during the First World War not to introduce conscription. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It contends that all workers should be united within a single union as a class and the wage system abolished. ... Conscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood. ... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world conflict... Statue of Daniel Mannix outside St Patricks Cathedral, Melbourne For other people called Daniel Mannix, see Daniel Mannix (disambiguation) Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 - 2 November 1963), Irish-born Australian Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years, was one of the most influential public figures in 20th... The Right Honourable William Morris Billy Hughes, PC (September 25, 1862 - October 28, 1952), 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. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

The Labor Governments of Hughes in the Federal sphere, and William Holman in New South Wales, were held in low regard by much of the labour movement due to their policies on military conscription. William Arthur Holman (Born Clapham, London August 4, 1871; Died Gordon, June 6, 1934) was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War 1, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government. ...

On September 23, 1916 twelve members of the IWW (most of them active organisers) were arrested and charged with treason under an archaic law known as the Treason Felony Act (1848). As four buildings had been deliberatly damaged by fire, the charge of arson was added to the charges. They became known as the Sydney Twelve with many unions and people in the labour movement actively campaigning for their release for several years. September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... The Sydney Twelve were members of the Industrial Workers of the World arrested on September 23, 1916 in Sydney, Australia, and charged with treason under an archaic law known as the Treason Felony Act (1848), arson, sedition and forgery. ...

The Unlawful Associations Act (1916) was rushed through Federal Parliament in late December and the IWW was declared an illegal organisation. The IWW simply changed its name to Workers' Defence and Release Committee, and continued as normal. In late July 1917 the Act was amended resulting in any organisation or individual able to be easily proscribed. In return the IWW ran a 'free speech movement' campaign in which over 80 members in Sydney were sentenced to 6 months hard labour (the maximum) for simply proclaiming their membership, which was enough to scare many others away from open defiance. Those not born in Australia were subsequently deported at the end of their sentences, mostly to Chile. A chain of international protests about the Sydney Twelve IWW prisoners followed. (Sydney's Burning (An Australian Political Conspiracy)) 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Free Speech Movement was a student protest that began on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley in 1964 under the informal leadership of student Mario Savio and others. ...

At the end of the first world war in Australia there were a number of major industrial and political actions which threatened the stability of society. In Queensland counter-revolutionary and racist riots broke out in the red flag riots, when it was made illegal to fly or wear the red flag, except as a sign of danger. The New South Wales General Strike of 1917 started on August 2, 1917, by railway workers over the introduction of the Taylor system of determining where work could be speeded-up. It was the most widespread labour upheaval since the 1890s, and ended when mining workers returned to work on October 15, 1917. Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... In sail boat racing a solid red flag is known as a Protest Flag. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Scientific management or Taylorism is the name of the approach to management and Industrial/Organizational Psychology initiated by Frederick Winslow Taylor in his 1911 monograph The Principles of Scientific Management. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

The labour movement in the 1920s

The Communist Party of Australia was formed in October 1920 by a group of Trades Hall radicals that included John "Jock" Garden, the members of the illegal IWW, and members of earlier socialist organisations in Australia. This article is about the historical Communist Party of Australia, dissolved in 1991. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Trades Hall is a building in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... John Smith Jock Garden (13 August 1882 - 31 December 1968), Australian trade unionist and politician, was one of the founders of the Communist Party of Australia. ...

Strikes in this period were common place, and remained threatening to the Commonwealth government until 1928 and the passage of the Dog-collar act against the Waterside Workers Federation. Of particular note is the 1923 Victorian Police strike, and the 1929 Timber strike. 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... In 1927, the Australian Commonwealth Nationalist government amended the Federal Crimes Act so that it could be used as a tool against craft, trade and industrial unions. ... The Maritime Union of Australia covers waterside workers, seamen, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. ... On the eve of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in November 1923, half the police force in Melbourne went on strike over the operation of a supervisory system using spooks. Riots and looting followed as crowds poured forth from Flinders Street Station on the Friday and Saturday nights and made...

Trade union movement membership reached its peak in 1927, according to Green and Cromwell, when trade union membership "comprised less than 15 per cent of the whole population, only 47 per cent of the workforce."

Depression and attacks on unions

After the Dog-collar act was passed, the Australian union movement sought to protect itself by forming the Australian Council of Trade Unions. By this point the idea of trade unionism had won out over industrial unionism. This was in part encouraged by the Industrial courts who freely gave registration to small, shop and trade specific unions. While the Communist Party of Australia would always argue for industrial unions, the idea of industrial unions mouldered until the 1960s, and only received support from the ACTU and ALP in the 1980s. In 1927, the Australian Commonwealth Nationalist government amended the Federal Crimes Act so that it could be used as a tool against craft, trade and industrial unions. ... The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak national body representing workers in Australia. ... The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) is a tribunal established under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth). ... The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak national body representing workers in Australia. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ...

The dog-collar act was used to break up strong unions, in forestry and in dock-working. These unions were perceived to be revolutionary, or at least militant. At the same time the fragmented trade unions sought to maintain member conditions in an environment of massive unemployment. For instance, rates of male unemployment in the industrial city of Newcastle never dropped below 20% throughout the 1920s. When the depression hit, formal unemployment rates rose above 30%. Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, is Australias sixth largest city. ...

The trade union response to unemployment was not inspiring. Before the Depression some strong trade unions would provide welfare for unemployed members, and seek jobs for them. The depression rendered this system useless where it existed at all. (Union welfare primarily existed in seasonal work with militant unions, like dock-working. It was precisely these unions that were attacked by the dog-collar act). The Great Depression was a massive global economic recession (or depression) that ran from 1929 to approximately 1939. ...

In response to the depression the remains of the IWW set up a union for the unemployed. This idea was quickly taken up by both the CPA and the ALP who both established associations (not organised as unions of workers) for the unemployed. The militance of unemployed workers who identified with the CPA or ALP, and the spirit of universal unionism which remained from the IWW, changed these movements of the unemployed into effective unions. The unemployed unions attacked local councils, and occasionally landlords, in order to win conditions. Infamously, a series of CPA inspired riots occurred against evictions in Newtown, Bankstown, Newcastle and Wollongong. The unemployed movements did not win significant employment, payment or condition victories for the unemployed workers. No future union of the unemployed would ever match the achievements of the unemployed unions of the 1930s. This article is about the historical Communist Party of Australia, dissolved in 1991. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... South end of King Street, Newtown with the iconic brickworks chimneys of Sydney Park Newtown is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, is Australias sixth largest city. ...

Second World War and after

The second world war created a significant feeling of sympathy for the Soviet Union amongst Australian workers, and the CPA attempted to take advantage of this by industrial agitation after the war in the 1948 Queensland Railways Strike and the 1949 Australian coal strike (the first time the military were used in peacetime to break a strike), and disputes on the waterfront and in the meat industry. This attempt to seize control of the union movement failed and was the start of the decline in communist leadership and influence in the labour movement. At the same time, agitation by Catholic organisations such as the National Civic Council (or Groupers) started setting up of industrial groups within unions to counter the influence of communists. The 1949 Australian coal strike is notable as being the first time that Australian military forces were used during peacetime to break a Trade union strike. ... Genera Alphestes Anyperidon Cephalopholis Cromileptes Dermatolepis Epinephelus Gonioplectrus Gracila Mycteroperca Niphon Paranthias Plectropomus Saloptia Triso Variola Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epiphelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. ...

The 1950s and 1960s period was generally one of industrial peace, dictated by preference agreements and closed shops. This period saw union membership keep pace with the growth of the workforce. A closed shop is a business or industrial establishment whose employees are required to be union members or to agree to join the union within a specified time after being hired. ...

During the 1960s a number of militant unions became locked in contests with governments and employers. Governments relied on penal powers to keep union activists in line. The general strike over Clarrie O'Shea's imprisonment broke the government law and ushered in a period of rising union demands. These demands existed in a context of a general social radicalisation under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser. A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... Clarence Lyell O’Shea, more commonly known as Clarrie OShea (born 1906), was the Victorian State Secretary of the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees Association who was jailed in 1969 by John Kerr for contempt of the Industrial Court when he disobeyed a court order that his union pay... Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916), Australian politician and 21st Prime Minister of Australia, was the only Australian Prime Minister to be dismissed by the Governor-General. ... John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH (born 21 May 1930), Australian politician and 22nd Prime Minister of Australia, came to power in the circumstances of the dismissal of the Whitlam government. ...

The militant wave was broken by the Australian Labor Party's Wages and Prices Accord in 1984 under Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke. After 1984 industrial militance declined, and a newly amalgamated trade union movement presided over falls in real wages. The 1989 Australian pilots' strike saw the Federal Labor Government using RAAF planes and pilots to break industrial action by the Australian Federation of Air Pilots, taken outside the Wages and Prices accord. The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... Robert James Lee Hawke (born 9 December 1929), Australian trade union leader and politician, was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia. ... The 1989 Australian pilots strike was one of the most expensive and dramatic industrial disputes in Australias history. ...

With the 1996 election of the Federal Government under Prime Minister John Howard increasing pressure has been brought to bear on industrial relations reforms to reduce the industrial power of Australian trade unions. This has included the introduction of Australian Workplace Agreements - individual contractual agreemnts on pay and conditions between an employee and employer - and the reduction of minimum conditions contained in Industrial awards. One of the first targets of the conservative Government was to undermine the power of the Maritime Union of Australia, through breaking its closed shop on waterfront labour. The 1998 Australian waterfront dispute resulted with stevedoring firm, Patrick Corporation under CEO Chris Corrigan, attempting to sack its entire waterfront workforce of 1400 people through company restructuring. The Australian Council of Trade Unions condemned the sacking as a gross act of collusion between Patrick, the Government, and the National Farmers Federation, and with the threat of legal action against the Government and Patrick Corporation, a settlement was negotiated to allow some reform with the MUA retaining its effective closed shop. John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the countrys 25th Prime Minister. ... An Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) is an individual contract on wages and working conditions between an employer and employee in Australia, under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. ... The Maritime Union of Australia covers waterside workers, seamen, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. ... The Australian waterfront dispute of 1998 was a severe and protracted industrial relations dispute mainly between the traditionally powerful Maritime Union of Australia and Patrick Corporation, led by CEO Chris Corrigan, a stevedoring and transportation company, that had the support of the Australian federal Howard government, particularly the then Workplace... Patrick Corporation Ltd (ASX code: PRK) is an Australian publicly listed logistics conglomerate. ... The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak national body representing workers in Australia. ...

The last quarter of the twentieth century has seen the proportion of employees in the workforce belonging to a union falling from 51 per cent in 1976 to about 23 per cent in 2005. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Industrial Relations changes in 2005

See main articles: 2005 Australian industrial relations law reform
In 2005 the Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced a series of proposed changes to the nations Industrial Relations laws that the Federal governement would seek to introduce. ...

A view of the rally in La Trobe Street, Melbourne, giving an indication of the size of the crowd

After the Howard Government's 2004 election victory, and with a majority in the Senate since 1 July 2005, changes to industrial laws to further undermine the collective bargaining power of trade unions look set to continue. In May 2005 the Howard Government announced its changes to Industrial Relations changes. This legislation has received widespread opposition from the Australian union movement, from religious groups and from the community generally. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2400x1600, 538 KB) Summary Photo by Takver taken on 15 November 2005 from the tram stop near the top of La Trobe Street looking at the huge crowd approaching the Carlton Gardens. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2400x1600, 538 KB) Summary Photo by Takver taken on 15 November 2005 from the tram stop near the top of La Trobe Street looking at the huge crowd approaching the Carlton Gardens. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Collective bargaining is the process of negotiation between representatives of a union and employers (represented by management) in respect of the terms and conditions of employment of employees, such as wages, hours of work, working conditions and grievance procedures, and about the rights and responsibilities of trade unions. ... The Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, who introduced the Australian industrial relations legislation, speaking at a press conference on 8 November In May 2005 Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews announced that the Howard Government would seek to introduce a series of proposed changes to Australian industrial relations law. ...

Wikinews has news related to this article:

Hundreds of thousands rally in Australia against IR legislation

On 15 November 2005, the ACTU organised a national day of protest, during which the ACTU estimated 546,000 people took part in marches and protests in Australia's state capitals and other cities. [1]. The rallies were addressed by State premiers and religious leaders. Other notable Australians, including former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, also spoke in opposition to the industrial relations changes. John Howard said that the protests will not change his policy and employer groups estimated that 95% of the workforce did not attend. Image File history File links Wikinews-logo. ... Wikinews is a free content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Trade union supporters rally at Federation Square in Melbourne. ... Robert James Lee Hawke (born 9 December 1929), Australian trade union leader and politician, was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia. ...

The Government has now pushed the changes through the Senate, with minor amendments, by a vote of 35-33 on 2 December 2005.

References

• Mutual Aid or Welfare State. Australia's Friendly Societies, David Green & Lawrence Cromwell (1984) ISBN 0868616648
• Industrial War. The Great Strikes 1890-94, Stuart Svenson (1995) ISBN 0646227971
• Sydney's Burning (An Australian Political Conspiracy), Ian Turner (1969)

External links

• The Beginnings of May Day in Australia
• My Union Right or Wrong. A history of the Ship Painters and Dockers Union 1900-1932, Issy Wyner (2003). Accessed May 1, 2005

See also

• Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It contends that all workers should be united within a single union as a class and the wage system abolished. ...