The 1890s was a time of immense social upheaval that had a major impact upon Australia’s future. The underlying causes of the unrest where varied, from class tension, and economic depression to major drought. There are three major strikes in the period: the shearer’s strikes of 1891 and 1894, and the Maritime strike of 1890. The decade saw a shift, through the failure of great strikes, towards a more political Labour agenda.
The social upheaval of the 1890s occurred in a setting of class tension, economic depression and drought. Class tension was a major contributor to the turmoil 1890s. The focus of this was on the new tendency to form unions of workers to resolve disputes between themselves and employers.[1] Employers wished to dissolve these federations and maintain their strong influence on workers conditions.[2] Frustration was caused between both the employed and employers with each forming their own federations. Conditions for labours where deteriorating, the decreases in wages and the collapse of banks forced many to work for less, increasing supply of workers and therefore allowing employers to make working conditions poorer. To add to the turmoil in the 1890s the decade started out in drought. This had a negative effect on working conditions and upon economic state. [3]
The 1890s brought new methods to the ways unions operated. In the previous decade, strikes were usually short, as labour was easily replaced, and affected only the unskilled labours in a particular sector.[4] Striking action in the 1890s on the other hand had become highly organised flowing from the unskilled workers to the skilled across various sectors.[5] However, strikes were used as a first resort and still collapsed when union finances ran dry, and workers positions were filled with non-union labour. Similarly, the decade saw employers take action to federate and centralise these federations. During the Maritime strike, it was seen as ‘desirable to encourage employers and others connected with all trades, businesses and interests to join existing employers unions.’[6]
There are three major strikes in the 1890s (collectively called the great strikes). Although they occur due to various reasons, all the strikes can be seen as having the common grievance of raising wages and general discomfort in ‘matters that affect the personal comfort of the workmen.’[7] The Maritime strike of 1890 is the first major strike where multiple unions acted in concert to achieve their outcomes. The maritime strike was seen by its proponents as an opportunity to promote ‘the right of labour to federate in a common cause’.[8] The strike however was cut short due to non-union labour and a lack of funding for the striking labourers.[9] The shearer’s strike of 1891 is of importance because it is an early instance of severe disruptive behaviour by the unionists. This behaviour involved forming militia and consequently the government was forced to react by instructing police and later army officers to protect anti-union employers and non-union labour.[10] The second shearers strike can in essence be seen as a continuation of the ideology of the first. It saw an amplification in the drastic and sometimes violent behaviour of both unionists and those who opposed them.
A major upshot of turmoil in the 1890s was a move of Labour ideals into governance roles. ’1891 undoubtedly saw the awakening of the labour giant in Austral[ia]‘.[11] Previously Labour unionists evaded involvement in politics however; the failure of the great strikes saw new tactics from Labour unions, and those trying to further worker interests.[12] Today’s Labor party can see itself as taking root in the 1890s. Although there were Labour parliamentarians prior, the 1890s saw an increase in Labour members elected to colonial parliaments, and the first labour government, even if it lasted only seven days.[13] This can be seen as action against the anti-union tendency during the great strikes.
The last decade of the twentieth century saw turmoil and conflict that shaped the decades to come. The three major strikes had caused uproar and made it obvious that striking as a first offence would not work. The result of which was an increase in the Labour sentiment and increase in their numbers in parliaments.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
‘The Bank Crash’ from The Age 2 May 1893 cited in Ward, Russel and Robertson, John (ed.), Such was Life: Select Documents in Australian Social History, Vol 2: 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980), pp. 258-259.
‘The Great Strikes’ from the Sydney Morning Herald, 20th August 1890 as cited in Ward, Russel and Robertson, John (ed.), Such was Life: Select Documents in Australian Social History, Vol 2: 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980), pp. 259-261.
‘Official Report and Balance Sheet of the New South Wales Labour Defence Committee’ as cited in Selected Documents in Australian history 1851-1900, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1955), pp. 772-776.
Roydhouse, T. and Tapperell, H., ‘Labour turns to parliamentary action,’ as cited in Ward, Russel and Robertson, John (ed.), Such was Life: Select Documents in Australian Social History, Vol 2: 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980), p. 266-267.
‘Report of the Royal Commission on Strikes’ as cited in Clark, C. (ed.), Selected Documents in Australian history 1851-1900, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1955), pp. 760-762.
‘Resolutions of the Pan Australasian Conference of Employers’ Sydney Morning Herald, 13 September 1890 as cited in Clark, C. (ed.), Selected Documents in Australian history 1851-1900, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1955), pp. 768-770.
Bean, C., ‘The Strike in the Outback’ from The Dreadnought of the Darling as cited in Ward, Russel and Robertson, John (ed.), Such was Life: Select Documents in Australian Social History, Vol 2: 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980),
Secondary Materials
Johnson, Murray, ‘Class Conflict in the 1890s’ in his Trials and Tribulations: A Social History of Europeans in Australia 1788-1960, (Launceston: Myola House of Publishing, 2007), pp. 67-74.
[1] Murray Johnson, ‘Class Conflict in the 1890s’ in his Trails and Tribulation: A social history of Australia, (Launceston: Myola House of Publishing, 2007), p. 67.
[2] ‘Report of the Royal Commission on Strikes’ as cited in Clark, C. (ed.), Such was Life: Selected Documents in Australian history 1851-1900, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1955), p. 762.
[3] ‘The Drought Brakes’ in Russel Ward and John Robertson (ed.), Selected Documents from Australian History 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980), pp. 270-271.
[4] Murray Johnson, ‘Class Conflict in the 1890s’ in his Trails and Tribulation: A social history of Australia, (Launceston, Myola House of Publishing, 2007), p. 67.
[5] Ibid, p. 68.
[6] ‘Resolutions of the Pan Australasian Conference of Employers’ Sydney Morning Herald, 13 September 1890 as cited in Clark, C. (ed.), Selected Documents in Australian history 1851-1900, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1955), p. 770.
[7] ‘Report of the Royal Commission on Strikes’ as cited in Clark, C. (ed.), Selected Documents in Australian history 1851-1900, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1955), p. 761.
[8] ‘The Great Strikes’ Sydney Morning Herald, 20 August 1890 as cited in Ward, Russel and Robertson, John (ed.), Such was Life: Select Documents in Australian Social History, Vol 2: 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980), p. 261.
[9] Murray Johnson, ‘Class Conflict in the 1890s’ in his Trails and Tribulation: A social history of Australia, (Launceston, Myola House of Publishing,, 2007), p. 69.
[10] Ibid, pp. 70-71.
[11]Roydhouse and H. Tapperell, ‘Labour turns to parliamentary action,’ as cited in Ward, Russel and Robertson, John (ed.), Such was Life: Select Documents in Australian Social History, Vol 2: 1851-1913, (Chippendale: Alternative Publishing Cooperative Limited, 1980), p. 266.
[12] Murray Johnson, ‘Class Conflict in the 1890s’ in his Trails and Tribulation: A Social History of Australia, (Launceston, Myola House of Publishing,, 2007), p. 74.