Australian seamen were forerunners of maritime trade unionism. Efforts to form trade unions amongst merchant seamen trading out of Australian ports can be traced back to 1874, with the formation of the Sydney Seamen's Union and Melbourne Seamen's Union.[2] The trade unions of this period inspired, among others, J. Havelock Wilson of the British National Union of Seamen, who served on Australian coasting vessels for a period in the late 1870s.
By 1890, a number of these unions had come together to form a loose federation called the Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia, which included New Zealand until the Federation of Australia in 1901 which did include New Zealand, and adopted the name Seamen's Union of Australia (SUA) in 1906. For nearly eighty years the SUA successfully improved the wages and conditions of its members by negotiations with employers and governments or by taking militant industrial action.
Campaigning
The Committee of Management of the SUA, 1952
Following World War I the SUA gained a reputation as a militant union, under the leadership of socialist-inclined Tom Walsh. During the World War II it was instrumental in ensuring the supply of civilian seafarers for the war effort.
The SUA also took part in a wide range of social and political issues over the years, for example campaigning for Aboriginal rights, opposing apartheid in South Africa, opposing the Vietnam War, and participating in the nuclear disarmament movement.[1] The SUA also took part in the black bans and boycotts of Dutch shipping, where the union movement of Australia worked to aid the nascent Indonesian Republic, in particular, ensuring that no tugs towed Dutch ships.[3] These bans commenced in September 1945,[4] and continued through to 1949.[5] The union's longest serving leader was Eliot V. Elliott who led the SUA from 1941–1978.
During the 1970s and 80s the union was strongly active in campaigns to address the decline of the Australian shipping industry, as alternative transport modes became more prevalent, and shipowners used flag of convenience ships to reduce costs.[1] Reduced manning levels aboard ships also negatively impacted union members, and the union negotiated with companies to maintain the job security of Australian maritime workers.[1]
Cahill, Rowan, Sea Change: An Essay In Maritime Labour History, Bowral, 1988.
Fitzpatrick, Brian and Rowan J. Cahill, The Seamen's Union of Australia 1872–1972: A History,, Sydney: Seamen's Union of Australia, 1981. ISBN0959871306.
Kirkpatrick, Diane, Voices From the Ships: Australia's Seafarers and their Union, Sydney: UNSW Press, 2008. ISBN9780868409023.
^Lockwood, Rupert (1982). Black Armada: Australia and the Struggle for Indonesian Independence, 1942-49. Sydney: Australasian Book Society. ISBN978-0-86806-004-0.
^"Seamen's Union to Discuss Indonesia". The Sun. 20 December 1948. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
^"New Ban on Dutch Ships". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 7 January 1949. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
^"Conviction Upheld". Press. 3 October 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Seamen s Union of Australia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Seamen s Union of Australia SUA was the principal trade union for merchant seamen in Australia from 1876 to 1991 The SUA developed a reputation as one of the most militant trade unions in Australia and was closely associated with the communist movement in Australia The SUA merged in 1993 with the Waterside Workers Federation to become the Maritime Union of Australia MUA 2 SUASeamen s Union of AustraliaMerged intoMaritime Union of AustraliaFounded1890Dissolved1993Headquarters289A Sussex St SydneyLocationAustraliaMembers4 625 1979 1 Key peopleE V Elliott Tom WalshPublicationThe Seamen s JournalAffiliationsACTU ALP Australian Council for Civil Liberties Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1 2 Campaigning 1 3 Amalgamation 2 Federal Secretaries 3 Further reading 4 ReferencesHistory EditBackground Edit Australian seamen were forerunners of maritime trade unionism Efforts to form trade unions amongst merchant seamen trading out of Australian ports can be traced back to 1874 with the formation of the Sydney Seamen s Union and Melbourne Seamen s Union 2 The trade unions of this period inspired among others J Havelock Wilson of the British National Union of Seamen who served on Australian coasting vessels for a period in the late 1870s By 1890 a number of these unions had come together to form a loose federation called the Federated Seamen s Union of Australasia which included New Zealand until the Federation of Australia in 1901 which did include New Zealand and adopted the name Seamen s Union of Australia SUA in 1906 For nearly eighty years the SUA successfully improved the wages and conditions of its members by negotiations with employers and governments or by taking militant industrial action Campaigning Edit The Committee of Management of the SUA 1952 Following World War I the SUA gained a reputation as a militant union under the leadership of socialist inclined Tom Walsh During the World War II it was instrumental in ensuring the supply of civilian seafarers for the war effort The SUA also took part in a wide range of social and political issues over the years for example campaigning for Aboriginal rights opposing apartheid in South Africa opposing the Vietnam War and participating in the nuclear disarmament movement 1 The SUA also took part in the black bans and boycotts of Dutch shipping where the union movement of Australia worked to aid the nascent Indonesian Republic in particular ensuring that no tugs towed Dutch ships 3 These bans commenced in September 1945 4 and continued through to 1949 5 The union s longest serving leader was Eliot V Elliott who led the SUA from 1941 1978 During the 1970s and 80s the union was strongly active in campaigns to address the decline of the Australian shipping industry as alternative transport modes became more prevalent and shipowners used flag of convenience ships to reduce costs 1 Reduced manning levels aboard ships also negatively impacted union members and the union negotiated with companies to maintain the job security of Australian maritime workers 1 Amalgamation Edit During its long history the SUA underwent several amalgamations to increase its coverage of maritime workers particularly as the size of the workforce decreased due to automation and the use of flag of convenience vessels The Marine Cooks Bakers and Butchers Association formed in 1908 amalgamated with the Seamen s Union of Australia in 1983 and the Federated Marine Stewards and Pantrymen s Association merged in 1988 In 1991 the Professional Divers Association also amalgamated with the SUA before it joined with the Waterside Workers Federation to become the Maritime Union of Australia MUA in 1993 2 Federal Secretaries EditArthur Cooper 1906 1918 Tom Walsh 1918 1922 William Raeburn 1922 1926 Jacob Johnson 1926 1937 imprisoned for 4 months for inciting a 1922 strike 6 W J Daley 1937 1941 Eliot V Elliott 1941 1978 Patrick Geraghty 1978 1991Further reading EditCahill Rowan Sea Change An Essay In Maritime Labour History Bowral 1988 Fitzpatrick Brian and Rowan J Cahill The Seamen s Union of Australia 1872 1972 A History Sydney Seamen s Union of Australia 1981 ISBN 0959871306 Kirkpatrick Diane Voices From the Ships Australia s Seafarers and their Union Sydney UNSW Press 2008 ISBN 9780868409023 References Edit a b c d Huntley Pat 1985 Inside Australia s Top 100 Trade Unions Northbridge Ian Huntley Pty Ltd ISBN 0 9589527 01 a b c Smith Bruce A 20 April 2001 Seamens Union of Australia Australian Trade Union Archives Retrieved 24 September 2011 Lockwood Rupert 1982 Black Armada Australia and the Struggle for Indonesian Independence 1942 49 Sydney Australasian Book Society ISBN 978 0 86806 004 0 Seamen s Union to Discuss Indonesia The Sun 20 December 1948 Retrieved 22 September 2018 New Ban on Dutch Ships The Daily Telegraph Sydney 7 January 1949 Retrieved 22 September 2018 Conviction Upheld Press 3 October 1931 p 10 Retrieved 29 May 2016 Organized labour portal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Seamen 27s Union of Australia amp oldid 1090204908, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
