Predecessors The Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia traces its roots to the formation on the Australian waterfront in September 1872 of two unions in Sydney, the '''Labouring Men's Union of Circular Quay
and the West Sydney Labouring Men's Association
, which merged ten years later to form the Sydney Wharf Labourers' Union
. In 1884 the Melbourne Wharf Labourers' Union''' was formed with the support of
Melbourne Trades Hall representatives, after shipowners refused to allow waterfront workers to attend
Eight-hour Day celebrations.
1900 to 1945 With Federation in 1901 and the impending introduction of an arbitration system, the national '''Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia''' was formed in 1902 under the leadership of
Billy Hughes. Hughes had been a member of the federal parliament and became Prime Minister in 1915. Hughes was expelled from the
Australian Labor Party and the union in 1916 over
conscription in Australia and then formed the
Nationalist Party to continue in government. In 1917 the
War Precautions Act 1914 was used to defeat a waterside workers nationwide strike by the passing of a regulation that deprived the Waterside Workers' Federation of preferences in seven of the busiest ports in Australia. From about 1900 to the 1940s, work on Melbourne wharves was obtained through the
bull system of labour hire where workers would be hired on a daily basis at a pickup point, and which was prone to corruption. (See
Wailing Wall.) In Sydney, workers would walk from wharf to wharf in search of a job, often failing to find one. (See
The Hungry Mile.) In 1917, waterside workers went on strike over the issue of the pickup and demanded the establishment of a single central pickup point at the Flinders Street Extension and that their remuneration should include the time taken to travel to and from their assigned ships. The impending arrival of strikebreakers from Sydney resulted in the calling off of the strike and abandonment of the dispute about a central pickup. The strike action led to the formation in 1917 of the
Permanent & Casual Wharf Labourers Union of Australia in opposition to the Waterside Workers' Federation. In 1928, the
Nationalist government of
Stanley Bruce amended the
Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act to require industrial courts to consider the economic effects of its awards in addition to the welfare of workers. Immediate problems followed when a new award for waterside workers in 1928 worsened conditions for workers on economic grounds. The Waterside Workers Union again sought the abolition of the "bull" pickup system in a new award, but Justice
George Beeby of the
Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration handed down a new award worse than the old, which included double pickup, cancelled the single pickup in those ports where it existed and removed restrictions on over-long shifts because they slowed ship turnaround times. Wharfies were to be paid less for evening and night shifts than they would for the horror shifts making these dangerously attractive. All appeals for safeguards against excessive strain and overwork were rejected, as claimed for improved safety. The union rejected the award and organised strike action, which later resulted in riots and violence. Bruce pushed the
Transport Workers Act through parliament in September, which gave the government unprecedented regulatory power in industrial relations. All waterfront workers now required federal licences, or "dog collars" as they were derisively known, to work. The act allowed the Commonwealth government to effectively control who worked on the docks and nearly destroyed the Waterside Workers' Federation, earning the government deep unpopularity among organised labour. Employment of non-union labour and members of the
Permanent & Casual Wharf Labourers Union of Australia almost killed off the Waterside Workers' Federation. Bruce then called the
1928 election for November, reviving the "red scare" pitch for the campaign. The stalwarts of the Waterside Workers' Federation were subject to official suspicion and scrutiny for many years. In the late 1930s union officials such as General Secretary
Big Jim Healy and
Brisbane Branch Secretary, Ted Englart, swallowed their pride and began recruiting members of their rival PCWLUA, which many union members regarded as "scabs". In 1936 the union shifted its head office from Melbourne to Sydney. In 1938 the union, through the efforts of Port Kembla Branch Secretary
Ted Roach, played a key role in the
Dalfram dispute which drew attention to
Japan's undeclared war in China and famously led to Robert Menzies being known as
Pig Iron Bob. The union consolidated its strength with the labour shortages during
World War II.
1945-1991 In 1950, the WWF finally absorbed the
Permanent & Casual Wharf Labourers Union of Australia as a distinct branch. in an attempt by the government to end the WWF's monopoly on the supply of wharf labour. The Waterside Workers' Federation went on strike for a fortnight in November 1954. Although the changes were passed, the new legislation proved unworkable. In early 1955 a new recruiting agreement was drawn up protecting the union's right to recruit labour with
Harold Holt, Minister for Labour and National Service. The government pressed ahead in 1956 with new legislation aimed at weakening the federation and the improvements it had gained in working conditions and safety provisions. In 1991, the WWF amalgamated with the
Australian Foremen Stevedore Association but retained the name Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia. ==Officeholders==