Division of Labour: Industrial Relations in the Chifley Years, 1945-49

414 Pages·17.673 MB·English

by  Tom Sheridan, Thomas Sheridan

DIVISION OF LABOUR
This book is dedicated
to the memory
of Catherine Mitchell,
mother and worker
DIVISION OF
LABOUR
Industrial Relations in the
Chifley Years, 1945-49
Tom Sheridan
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AUSTRALIA
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OXFORD is a trade mark of Oxford University Press
© Tom Sheridan 1989
First published 1989
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National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Sheridan, Tom.
Division of labour: industrial relations in the Chifley
years, 1945-49.
Bibliography.
Includes index.
ISBN 019 554961 9.
1. Industrial relations—Australia—History. 2.
Australia—Politics and government—1945-1965. I.
Title.
331'.0994
Edited by Sarah Brenan
Designed by Steve Randles
Typeset by Asco Trade Typesetting Ltd Hong Kong
Printed in Hong Kong
Published by Oxford University Press,
253 Normanby Road, South Melbourne, Australia
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
List of tables ix
List of abbreviations X
Introduction 1
1 The setting 5
2 Ben Chifley: background, character and 18
approach
3 The government, the economy and the labour 30
market
4 The unions 53
5 Private-sector employers 75
6 The opening salvos: NSW steel and 89
Queensland meat
7 Hours and wages: the ‘40 years’ case and the 125
margins war
8 Federal arbitration: reform, personnel and 149
sanctions
9 Victoria and Queensland 1947-49: getting 181
tough with the unions
10 The Communist Party and industrial relations 225
11 Regulating market forces: the run-in to the 248
1949 coal strike
12 ‘Boots and all’: Mr Chifley and the miners 291
13 Conclusions 317
vi Division of Labour
Notes 322
Bibliography 373
Index 387
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By the time this book is published it will be virtually a decade since I
began my research—initially with the help of an Australian Research
Grant. In those years I have become indebted to scores of people for
their kind help and encouragement. My first debt is to Pat Stretton,
my part-time research assistant for four years, whose enormous en­
thusiasm was matched only by her eflBciency. Others providing valu­
able research assistance at various times were Helen Wickens,
Pauline Clarke, Melissa Gibbs, Simon Molloy and Adam Sheridan.
My next debt is to those involved in some aspect of industrial
relations in the 1940s who agreed to be interviewed by me—often in
their own homes where I was offered splendid hospitality. Thus I
wish to thank Laurie Aarons, John Arrowsmith, Ted Arrowsmith,
Sir Henry Bland, Kim Beazley senior, J.D. Blake, Bob Brodney,
J.J. Brown, Netta Burns, Dr. J.W. Burton, S.J. Butlin, Jim Com-
erford, W.R. Coulter, Neville Cunningham, James Chalmers, Dr
Eric Dark, Alex Dowling, P.R. Dyball, Sir Richard Eggleston, E.V.
Elliott, Bill Frame, B.W. Hartnell, Ted Hill, Jack Hughes, Amirah
Inglis, J.V. Jensen, Tom Jones, Pat Kennelly, Jack Kane, Jack
Kidd, Bill Latter, Harry Lowe, Sir William McKell, Joe Mitchell,
N.J.O. Makin, P.P. McManus, Jack McPhillips, Charlie Morgan,
Doug Olive, Clarrie O’Shea, Frank Rooney, Edgar Ross, Lloyd Ross,
Sir Murray Tyrell, J.T. Tonkin and Harry Webb.
Many other individuals either provided valuable information,
opinion or research material, or eased me through archives and
manuscript collections. They include Doug Blackmur, Hazel Buter-
ac, Kath Cheshire, Les Church, Chris Coggin, Mel Davies, Bill
Dobson, Norman Dufty, Rob Durbridge, June Edwards, Steve
Frenkel, Jim Hagan, Kevin Hince, Wally Jurkiewicz, Bill Leslie,
Malcolm Macintosh, Richard Mitchell, Richard Morris, Rob Noble,
Trevor Olssen, Bob Phillips, David Plowman, Graham Powell,
via Division of Labour
Michael Quinlan, George Seelaf, John Sendy, Peter Smith, Barry
Stephenson, Hugh Stretton and Doreen Wheeler.
I also wish to thank collectively the staff of the following organiza­
tions or institutions who at various times helped me along the way:
Archives of Business and Labour (ANU), Archives Oflftce of New
South Wales, Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union, Australasian
Coal and Shale Employees’ Union, Australasian Meat Industry Em­
ployees’ Union, Australian Archives (Canberra, Melbourne and
Adelaide), Australian Bankers’ Association, Australian Conciliation
and Arbitration Conmiission, Australian Federated Union of Loco­
motive Enginemen, Australian Iron and Steel Pty Ltd, Australian
National Library, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation,
Australian Workers’ Union, Barr Smith Library, Broken Hill Pty
Ltd, Coal Industry Tribunal, Communist Party of Australia, Flin­
ders University Library, Engineering Employers’ Association South
Australia, Joint Coal Board, J.S. Battye Library of West Australian
History, La Trobe Library, Mitchell Library, Newcastle City Li­
brary, Newcastle Morning Herald, Newcastle Trades Hall Council,
NSW Department of Labour and Industry, NSW Industrial Com­
mission, Parliament of New South Wales, Parliament of South
Australia, State Library of New South Wales, State Library of
South Australia, University of Newcastle Archives, University of
Wollongong Archives.
As my work moved towards completion it gained from construc­
tive comments offered on all or part of the growing manuscript. My
main thanks here go to John Merritt, Chris Nyland and, again, Pat
Stretton. I am also thankful to Stephen McDonald, Ron Mclver and
earlier Honours students who, by reading or questioning drafts,
greatly stimulated my thought processes. At Oxford University
Press Carla Taines and particularly Sarah Brenan offered incompara­
ble editorial assistance.
The daunting task of typing my bulky, ever-changing manuscript
fell on many shoulders over the years. By far the major share was
undertaken with great speed and eflSciency by Kerry Braini and
Debbie Jackson but at various times I was also helped by Davina
Dolman, Ann Dutschke, Julia Gregory, Michelle Raimondo and
Marianne Woods. I am indebted to them all—as I am to Kyoko,
Adam and Jack for their support and understanding.
LIST OF TABLES
1 Number of working days lost annually per employee in 6
industrial disputes 1913-86
2 Nominal wage rates 1939-49 15
3 Percentage change in average annual employment, by industry, 33
from 1938-39 to 1949-50
4 Average annual employment, by industry, as a percentage of the 34
total from 1938-39 to 1949-50
5 Official changes in purchasing power, net overseas immigration 39
and union unemployment 1939-50; percentage change on
previous years
6 Civilian employment in selected years 54
7 Number of working days lost annually per employee in industrial 116
disputes, by state, 1939-50
8 Production, employment and industrial disputes in coalmining 254
1939-55
9 Federal voting preferences (%) 1949 311
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ACSEF Australasian Coal and Shale Employees’ Federation
ACMA Associated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia
ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions
AEU Amalgamated Engineering Union
AFULE Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen
ARU Australian Railways Union
ASCJ Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Australia
ATMOEA Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees’
Association
AWU Australian Workers’ Union
BHP Broken Hill Proprietary Co Ltd
BWIU Building Workers’ Industrial Union of Austraha
CIT Coal Industry Tribunal
CMUC Coal Mining Unions’ Council
CPA Conununist Party of Australia
ETU Electrical Trades Union of Australia
FCU Federated Clerks’ Union of Australia
FEDFA Federated Engine Drivers and Firemen’s Association of
Australasia
FIA Federated Ironworkers’ Association of Australia
JCB Joint Coal Board
MTEA Metal Trades Employers’ Association
MTF Metal Trades Federation of Unions
NSA National Security Act
PIEU Printing Industry Employees’ Union of Australia
SMWIU Sheet Metal Working Industrial Union of Australia
SUA Seamen’s Union of Australia
THC Trades Hall Council
TLC Trades and Labor Council
TWU Transport Workers’ Union of Australia
WEB Women’s Employment Board
WWF Waterside Workers’ Federation of Australia