Unions Archives

A large group of men on strike sitting on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in front of one of the opera house sails. Some are wearing hard hats

How Workers Defeated Anti-Strike Laws in the 1970s

Read an excerpt from the book, Without Bosses: Radical Trade Unionism in the 1970s, about workers retaining the right to strike.

Strikers walking along a rocky beach next to the water holding signs. One reads Equal rights for all workers.

Defending Unionism: The Weipa Dispute, 1995

Introduction During the 1980s and 1990s a series of campaigns saw workers fight back against attacks on their wages and conditions, jobs, unions and rights in Australia. Occurring in the context of the 1983-1996 ALP-ACTU Accord, a number of companies increased their union busting efforts. Disputes in the then highly unionised mining industry were common. […]

an old black and white photo of a procession of people walking along a street outside a hotel with text on their roof that reads Royal Hotel

Beer Strikes: A History of Hotel Boycotts in Australia, 1900-1920

Watch this video presentation about beer strikes and the history of hotel / pub boycotts in Australia in the early 1900s.

workers sitting on steps outside Opera House

The 1972 Sydney Opera House Work-In

Learn about the Sydney Opera House ‘work-in’ carried out by construction workers who expelled management & continued work under workers’ control.

a group of men in work clothes covered in coal dust wearing hard hats with miners lamps on the hats

The Nymboida Coal Mine Takeover, NSW, 1975–1979

How workers at the Nymboida coal mine in NSW resisted mass sackings by taking over and running the mine themselves in 1975. firstly through an occupation and then via union ownership.

Lines of Resistance: What can the Old Left offer today’s creatives?

Lines of Resistance: A Symposium on Media, Arts & Activism that profiles research on the role of media and visual arts in activist movements.

a large group of people gathered together in a group posing for a photo. The front row is seated on the ground and others are standing behind.

Local Power: Shifting Power at the Local Level – Candidate School

Case study of organising at a local level, Victorian Trades Hall Council’s Candidate School, focused on changing who gets elected to local office.

Crowd of strikers in Market Square, Brisbane

Australians general strike for right to unionize, Brisbane, Australia, 1912

Brisbane unionists organised a general strike in 1912 to protect and enhance the rights of tramways workers to organise.

anti nuclear protestors on USS Worden ship with protest banners saying No Nuclear Weapons

Australians campaign against nuclear power and uranium mining, 1974-1988

Street marches and trade union action typified Australian resistance to the building of nuclear reactors and uranium mining and export.

Protest poster - Aboriginal Australians in protest holding a sign that says No mining on sacred land. The wording on the poster says We, The People of Noonkanbah call for support.

Noonkanbah 1979: When Unionists Stood up for Aboriginal Rights

The Noonkanbah dispute was an important chapter in both the struggle for Australian Aboriginal rights and union solidarity in the 1970s-80s.

Developing Strategic Campaigns: An ITF Manual for Trade Union Activists, Educators and Organisers

This manual will help workers to identify clear campaign goals and objectives, develop strategies and tactics, and create unifying public messages and timelines for campaigns.

Man standing on top of iron fence waving flag outside a building.

Stories of Unemployed Activism from Radical Melbourne: 1906-1982

Introduction Four stories about actions – demonstrations, pickets, eviction resistance and occupations – that the unemployed people of Melbourne carried out from 1906 to 1982. These stories come from the Radical Melbourne 1 & 2 books by Jeff and Jill Sparrow, published by Vulgar Press in 2001 and 2004. The books feature dozens of stories […]

A collage of 6 images that relate to community organising including a photo of Saul Alinksy, and people protesting.

So, what is community organising?

Community organising is a way of building people power that focuses on building the capacity, skills and leadership of the people involved in making change. This article explains community organising and its history.

Change Makers (Text on orange background)

ChangeMaker Chat with John Robertson (Labor Party Minister): Inside Politics

Hear from John Robertson, ex Australian Labor Party leader, about the real pressures and backroom deals that make change so hard.

Resources About Australian Housing Justice and Unwaged Rights Campaigns

Resources focused on case studies and stories of how communities have organised to secure housing, financial and other support for the unwaged and those on low incomes.

Thousands of unemployed men march to the Treasury Buildings to confront Premier Sir James Mitchell 6 March 1931.

The 1931 Perth Treasury Building Riot: Unemployed workers during the Great Depression

Unemployed workers during the Great Depression, the repression they faced, and the protests and tactics they used to fight for their rights.

screenshot of online conference presenters

The Future of Workers’ Rights

Behind-the-scenes lessons from the campaign to secure JobKeeper in response to widespread job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online Picket Line Guide

Do you want to know how to run an online picket line? Here is a guide from the Victorian Trades Hall Council who ran the world’s 1st online picket line in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to launch digital actions for the campaign for #WageSubsidyForAll.

paper cut of a red triangle pointing to a cut out of australia

People’s History of Australia Podcast

People’s History of Australia-podcast and blog looking at Australian history from the perspective of ordinary people fighting together for a better life.

black and white image of Aboriginal activists with a sign saying Always as Always will be our land

The battle for Aboriginal heritage on Perth’s foreshore 30 years on

Thirty years ago from January 2019 Noongar activists set up a protest camp at Gooninup, the site of the derelict Old Swan Brewery on Perth’s foreshore. This marked the beginning of a four-year long struggle to secure recognition of an Aboriginal sacred site.

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