The federation was originally formed as the
New Zealand Federation of Miners in 1908 after a strike of coal miners in
Greymouth. The strike was largely in opposition to an
arbitration act by government which meant that industrial disputes had to be settled in a special court. In 1909 the federation was renamed to the New Zealand Federation of Labour. The Federation was inspired by American union federations including the
Industrial Workers of the World, which were often called the "Wobblies" in New Zealand. The Waihi Trade Union of Workers was involved with the Federation. The Federation helped support the 1912 Waihi Miners Strike. Member unions donated to the strikers, and some others temporarily walked away from their jobs in solidarity. Towards the end of the strike, some of the more-radical workers had joined under the IWW banner and the Federation lost some control over the strike. Prominent leaders included
Bob Semple who in 1935 became
Minister of Public Works with the first
Labour Government.
1913 General Strike In 1913, the Federation played a leading role in
nation-wide strike action which almost escalated into a general strike. This industrial action followed a dispute in
Wellington where waterside workers demanded better pay, and another dispute in
Huntly. The strikes were ultimately defeated in 1914 by
scab workers and strike-breaking police. The Federation was defeated during the Great Strike. Many prominent leaders of the federation, and other socialist organisations, went on to form the
New Zealand Labour Party in 1916. ==Notes==