�| 1791 | The first organised industrial action is recorded, when inSydney convicts demand daily instead of weekly rations. |
| 1822 | James Straiter, a convict shepherd, is sentenced to fivehundred lashes, one month solitary confinement on bread andwater, and five years' penal servitude for "inciting his Masters'servants to combine for the purposes of obliging him to raise thewages and increase their rations." |
| 1824 | Coopers use pickets for the first time in a strike action.They are eventually arrested and tried. English Acts which provide for the legislation of trade unionsare made effective in all colonies. |
| 1829 | Typographers, supported by carpenters, successfully strikefor payment in sterling, against currency reform which threatenedthe value of wages. |
| 1840 | The Society of Compositors campaigns to restrict the numbersof apprentices. The government uses convict compositors as strikebreakers. |
| 1854 | Police and soldiers attack miners in the Eureka Stockade atBallarat. Thirty miners and five soldiers are killed in theconflict. Peter Lalor and the other leaders are arrested andtried but found not guilty. Within six years the miners have wonall their demands. |
| 1855 | Following the success of strike action by a small number ofSydney stonemasons, Melbourne stonemasons and their employersagree on an eight-hour day. On the 21 April 1856, when theagreement comes into effect, two contractors refuse to abide bythe new conditions, and a day-long strike takes place. By the endof the day, however, the contractors fall into line. Thisdevelopment paves the way for all building workers in Melbourneto gain the forty-eight-hour week. |
| 1859 | Australia's first Trades Hall is opened in Melbourne. |
| 1861 | Ironworkers at P.N. Russell & Company go on strike inresponse to a ten percent wage cut, joined a week later bymoulders who were refused overtime rates beyond the eight-hourday. Though the ironworkers are willing to accept the cut inexchange for a twenty percent cut in hours, defence against legalaction saps their strike-pay fund, and workers are found toreplace them. Eventually they return to work after seven monthson strike. |
| 1874 | Victoria's firstFactory Act is passed. However, itonly provides regulation of conditions in factories with morethan ten employees in "sweated" trades. In Sydney, two thousand ironworkers go on strike over thethreat of the discontinuation of the "two-meal break"system.� |
| 1881 | The New South WalesTrades Union Act is passed,providing for union rights and registration. |
| 1882-1883 | In response to the Melbourne clothing manufacturer BeithShiess & Co attempting to reduce piece-rate wages, thetailoresses organise themselves into the Melbourne Tailoresses'Society, which is believed to be the first exclusively femaletrade union in Australia. |
| 1885 | TheFactories and Shops Act is passed. It provided forthe inspection of factories, set limits on hours of work andintroduced compensation for injuries in the workplace. |
| 1887 | The Adelaide Steamship Colocksout members of the Captains & Officers' Society when itseeks to affiliate with the Maritime Labour Council. Unionsinterstate fail to support the strike by shortly resuming toallow ships into local ports. |
| 1890s | The VictorianFactory Act establishes wages boards insweated trades. |
| 1890 | Maritime workers go onstrike from August to November. TheMercantile Marine Officers, through the Trades Hall Council ofMelbourne, issue a manifesto of grievances including inadequatesalaries and uninterrupted work periods lasting up to thirtyhours. Attempts at a peaceful settlement are frustrated byemployers. Wage cuts follow the end of the strike. |
| 1891 | A New South Wales Royal Commission into strikes recommendsthe establishment of a Board of Conciliation & Arbitration. Queenslandshearers go onstrike for seven months when pastoralists begin employingnon-union labour at lower wages. Eventually the Shearers' Unionmoney is exhausted and they agree with pastoralists on a disputesettlement procedure.� |
| 1892 | Miners atBroken Hill strikeover cuts to wages and employment of non-union labour. |
| 1899 | Fremantle Lumpersgo onstrike for five weeks in response to cuts in wages and erodedconditions. After several breakdowns in negotiations, the lumpersinvade docked ships which have brought "free" labour. Later thereis further confrontation with police. The dispute is resolved bythe use of arbitrators from a citizens' committee. |
| 1901 | The New South WalesIndustrial Arbitration Act ispassed, providing for compulsory arbitration. |
| 1902 | In WA, the government becomes the first to introduce workerscompensation legislation. Also established is the principle ofthe minimum wage, with legislation basing it on the needs of asingle twenty-one-year-old male. |
| 1904 | The CommonwealthConciliation and Arbitration Act ispassed. This Act provides for the establishment of theCommonwealth Court of Conciliation & Arbitration for settlingindustrial disputes and the federal registration of trade unionbodies.� |
| 1906 | A claim by female laundry workers in New South Wales for awage increase leads to a dispute in a non-unionised workplace.Statements given by the female workers under examination in courtare rejected and the claim is eventually dismissed on atechnicality. The Laundry Board does not make an award until1908. |
| 1907 | Justice Higgins' "Harvester Judgement" passes in theCommonwealth Court of Conciliation & Arbitration,establishing the concept of the "sufficient wage" for unskilledworkers, or as it became known, the "basic wage". The weekly wagedecided upon is two pounds and two shillings. |
| 1908 | SydneyRockchoppers go onstrike over conditions for two months, ending with employersbacking down on every issue, as no strikebreakers can be found.Union members jailed during the dispute have their fines paid bythe Public Works Contractors Association of New South Wales andare released. |
| 1912 | Tramways Company's refusal to recognise members' right towear union badges results in ageneral strike across Brisbane. |
| 1916-17 | Trade unions become involved in the conscription debate, andthere are some stop works in protest over the conscriptionreferendum. |
| 1917 | Ageneral strike takes placein New South Wales in response to a new labour costing systemimplemented by the New South Wales Department of Railways &Tramways. |
| 1919 | Thousands ofseamen aroundAustralia go on strike from May to August, on issues relatingto wages and conditions. Initially attempting to break away fromthe arbitration system, strikers are both fined and jailed attimes during the dispute, which ends with most of their demandsmet. |
| 1920 | In a series of decisions, shearers in Victoria, New SouthWales and South Australia gain the forty-four-hour week, a NewSouth Wales Royal Commission recommends the same for building andironworkers, and the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation &Arbitration follows suit for timberworkers. A special court,established in New South Wales to inquire into the introductionof a forty-four-hour week, goes on to make seventy-eightproclamations, covering most industries statewide. |
| 1923 | Melbourne Police go on strike in late October 1923 in reponseto the introduction of a new form of plain clothes beatsupervision. About one-third of the 1700 members support thestrike, all of whom are ultimately stood down. However, the plainclothes supervision force is also disbanded. Melbourne Police arelater awarded a pension for the first time since 1902.� |
| 1927 | At the South Johnstone Mill in Queensland,sugar workers go on strike when themill's ownership changes and they are not given preference forjobs. After a resolute and sometimes violent standoff, localrailway workers become involved, refusing to handle the "black"sugar. An Arbitration Court eventually orders a return to work,under threat of the deregistration of the Australian RialwaysUnion. |
| 1929 | In February, New South Wales Miners arelocked out after refusing to accept areduction in wage-rates. The New South Wales Government attemptsto re-open the mine in December with non-union labour, promptinga conflict between police and demonstrating miners at Rothbury.The stand-off lasts fifteen months, when the onset of theDepression and the exhaustion of the miners' funds forces themback to work on the owner's terms. |
| 1930 | The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation & Arbitrationapproves the forty-four-hour week. |
| 1931 | Commonwealth Court of Conciliation & Arbitrationannounces its ten percent wage cut decision, resulting in anational congress of unions which comes close to voting for ageneral strike. |
| 1934 | In response Depression-era setbacks, miners at the WonthaggiCoal Mines go on strike. Afterfive months the Menzies government eventually succumbs to theMiners' Federation's demands and in so doing, helps to pave theway for the gradual nationwide restoration of conditions andwages lost during the Depression. |
| 1936 | A week of annual leave is included in an award for the firsttime. A principle is established that leave should be granted inreasonably prosperous industries. |
| 1937 | The Fremantle Lumpers' Union refuses to load goods onto aJapanese whaling ship, in response to Japanese aggression inChina. |
| 1938 | At Port Kembla, Waterside Workers' Federation members refuseto load scrap iron for shipment to Japan. The "Dog Collar Act" isapplied to break the strike. In response to this and the layingoff of men by BHP, loading is eventually resumed in 1939. |
| 1939 | World War Two sees women replace male workers in a wide rangeof industries. Work-based child-care facilities are provided andmost women received ninety percent of male rates. |
| 1940 | In the interests of industrial peace and national security,the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation & Arbitration isempowered to hear a wider range of disputes during World WarTwo. |
| 1941 | Annual leave of one week becomes standard. |
| 1944 | Five hundred Balmain ironworkers strike when their own unionsuspends and refuses to recognise their shop delegate. Theexecutive struggles to maintain its authority but is eventuallyoverwhelmed. A new executive is elected and despite oppositionfrom the National Office, is in 1947 finally admitted as asub-branch of the Sydney Metropolitan Branch. |
| 1945 | The New South WalesAnnual Holidays Act comes intoforce, providing two weeks' paid leave for workers not covered bya federal award. Later in the year the Commonwealth ArbitrationCourt makes an award of two weeks to the metal trades. |
| 1946-1947 | The Engineer's strike covers all unions involved in the metaltrade, and seeks a reduction in working hours, and an increase inwages, which have been frozen throughout the war. Thesix-month dispute, which involvesovertime bans, a lockout by metal trade employers and afull-scale strike by the Amalgamated Engineering Union withsupport from other unions, is eventually resolved when theArbitration Court gives a decision favourable to theunions.� |
| 1947 | The forty-hour week is introduced by a ruling of theCommonwealth Court of Conciliation & Arbitration, takingeffect from 1 Jan 1948. In response to a request from Indonesian trade unions, theWaterside Workers' Federation black-bans all Dutch ships,supported by the ACTU and 30 other unions. This continues forfour years, spurring the Chifley government in its support forthe Indonesian people. |
| 1949 | A generalcoal strike for athirty-five-hour week and long service leave results in theenactment of theNational Emergency (Coal Strike) Act.Troops are used to break the strike in New South Wales and stayon to work as miners. Combined mining unions protest over thearbitration system and related causes. |
| 1950 | After a long campaign, the female wage rate is lifted fromfifty-four to seventy-five percent of the male wage rate. Some unions hold stop-work meetings over the introduction of abill to ban the Communist Party.� |
| 1951 | New South Wales legislation for long-service leave isenacted, believed to be a world first. Other states follow. |
| 1956 | Shearersrefuse to work atthe new rates set by the Industrial Court of Queensland. With thesupport of the Trades & Labour Council of Queensland and theAustralian Workers' Union, the strike lasts ten months, despitethe use of non-union labour. |
| 1964-1965 | The Mount Isa copper smelter is closed over dispute withminers. Amidst escalating conflict, the Queensland Governmentdeclares a state of emergency and martial law in the town. Thestrike is eventually resolved in February 1965, with many minersre-employed, but despite a management promise of novictimisation, ninety-six of the most militant are not employed.The strikers are not supported by the Australian Workers'Union. |
| 1965 | The Commonwealth Conciliation & Arbitration Commissionawards equal pay to Aboriginal stockmen. |
| 1969 | The jailing of Clarrie O'Shea, Secretary of the Tramway &Motor Omnibus Employees' Association, for refusing to pay intocourt $8100 in fines owed by his union, leads to four days ofnational strikes. On the fifth day, however, O'Shea is releasedwhen the fines are paid by a man who claims to have won the NewSouth Wales lottery. |
| 1969-1975 | The Commonwealth Conciliation & Arbitration Commissionestablishes a principle of equal pay for equal work, specificallyexcepting female work, which evolves slowly to become "equal payfor work of equal value" in 1972. The ACTU Equal Pay Case winsequal pay for men and women performing the same duties,introduced in 1975. |
| 1974 | Edna Ryan of the Women's Electoral Lobby succeeds in havingthe Commonwealth Minister for Labour and Industry agree that theCommonwealth would support the ACTU's National Wage Case, if theACTU would seek the extension of the male minimum wage to women.The ACTU does so and in February 1974, WEL Australia's case ispresented to the National Wage Bench. |
| 1975-1981 | The Federal Arbitration Commission introduces wageindexation. In the six years before its abolishment in 1981,eighteen increases of between 1.3% and 6.4% are made.� |
| 1976 | A one-day general strike against Medibank changes is afailure, despite almost unanimous opposition to the proposedchanges. Some unions oppose the strike, whilst others allow theirmembers to choose whether or not to attend. The government's onlyreaction to the strike is to break off negotiations with theACTU. |
| 1979 | Unpaid maternity leave of up to twelve months is granted bythe Federal Arbitration Commission. |
| 1981-1982 | Metal trades gain the thirty-eight-hour week. It is thennegotiated into many awards in New South Wales andinterstate. |
| 1983 | A dispute over the width of combs used to shear sheep evolvesinto a ten-week national strike and ongoing conflict between theNational Farmers' Federation and the Australian Workers' Union.By the dispute's end sixty percent of the AWU's pastoralmembership leave the union. |
| 1983-1997 | The Accord is introduced and renegotiated eight times beforeits discontinuation. It consists of wages, prices and otherpolicies upon which the ACTU and federal government agree inongoing discussions. Medicare is introduced under the Accord, asare child-care subsidies, superannuation for all workers (notjust executives) and improved job protection and security. |
| 1984 | The Australian Conciliation & Arbitration Commissionintroduces award provisions regarding redundancy pay anddismissal. |
| 1985-1986 | Victoriannurses strike forfifty days in response to lack of action by the government insecuring their award conditions. It is the longest strike bywomen in Australia since the nineteenth-century tailoresses'strike. Threatened with dismissal, criminal charges, the use ofthe Essential Services Act, and even police action to disruptpicket lines, the nurses remain on strike and achieve "careerstructure" reforms. |
| 1990 | The Australian Industrial Relations Commission extendsparental leave rights to men. |
| 1996 | TheWorkplace Relations Act 1996 is passed. Amongstits objectives are a reduced role for the Australian IndustrialRelations Commission, particularly as regards arbitral powers, astrongly-increased emphasis on direct agreements on employmentmatters between employers and employees at the workplace level,and a decreased role for trade unions in the industrial relationssystem. A significant change is "award stripping", therestriction of the AIRC to decisions on a maximum twenty"allowable matters" in their determinating of awards.� |
| 1998 | TheMaritime Union ofAustralia members strike when Patrick stevedoring, it is laterfound, unlawfully conspires to sack an entire workforce for beingmembers of a union. Plans had been made to replace the workerswith serving and former soldiers, trained in advance in Dubai.After two months an agreement is reached between the Union andPatrick, involving the dropping of all legal action against thecompany and their paying the expenses; Patrick also agrees not toseek to change key award conditions and to withdraw anapplication to the Industrial Relations Commission to reduceovertime and penalty rates. |
| 2001 | The Australian Industrial Relations Commission extendsparental leave to casuals. |
