
Issue No 54		19 May 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

History

A Breed Of Their Own

Labour historian Greg Patmore explains what makes his fraternity tick - and why they're still going strong and making history.


	Greg Patmore at Labor Council

Labour History focuses on the historical dimension of work and society. Labour historians are interested in trade unions, labour parties, the state and employers' labour policies. They explore issues such as class, gender, race and community. Labour historians are especially concerned with equity and the plight of the disadvantaged.

In Australia the origins of labour history are closely associated the spectacular growth of the political and industrial wings of the labour movement before the First World War. By 1891 over 20 per cent of the New South Wales workforce was organised. For all Australia, 45 per cent of workers were organised in 1914. The Labor Party won government at the federal level and in several states by 1914.

Some participants in the labour movement believed it was their duty to document and celebrate these events. In 1888, the centenary of white settlement in Australia, several trade unionists produced The History of Capital and Labour in all Lands and Ages. The book reviewed not only the history of labour in Australia, but also developments internationally since antiquity. Early `activist' labour historians included W.E.Murphy, George Black and W.G.Spence.

Trade unionists also played an important role in the establishment of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History in 1961. The domination of Australian politics by the Liberal/Country party coalition at that time highlighted the need for labour historians to assist the labour movement by examining the `lessons of history' and highlighting the positive contribution of labour to Australian society. The Society was also concerned with the preservation of labour archives. Prominent union members of the Society included Lloyd Ross, Bob Hawke and Jim Comerford.

Trade unions have continued to play an important role in fostering Australian labour history. In recent years unions have commissioned histories for their members and the general public.

These include the NSW Branch of the Australian Railways Union, the Western Australian branch of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union, the Clothing and Allied Trades' Union, the Australian Workers' Union, and the Labor Council of NSW. Trades unions continue their support for the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History. The Labor Council of NSW and the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History jointly offer a prize for the best article in Labour History every two years. The Society and the ACTU currently have a joint project to collect documents relating to the recent maritime dispute.

Labour history performs two useful functions for trade unions. First, there is the traditional celebratory role of labour history. This highlights the achievements of trade unions and their contribution to Australian society. This is valuable for community education and countering anti-union propaganda. Generally trade unions commission their own histories for celebratory purposes.

Second, labour history has an analytical role. Labour historians do not just write institutional histories, but explore a wide range of industrial and social issues. They use a wide variety of research techniques - documentary search, oral history and quantitative techniques. They are also interested in contemporary questions and can contribute to current debates. Unlike most economists, they provide a longer term analysis and place a greater emphasis on equity.

For example, labour historians can contribute to the continuing debate over the deregulation of the labour market. Their research reminds us why compulsory arbitration was adopted at the beginning of this century - equity, trade union recognition and the preservation of industrial peace in key export sectors. Labour historians have examined pre-arbitration industrial relations in Australia and can highlight the dangers of a return to an industrial relations system based on the concept of Master and Servant.

Australian labour historians in recent years have shown a greater interest in the links between unions and local communities, particularly in regional Australia. Bradon Ellem and John Shields, for example, are re-examining labour relations in the mining town of Broken Hill. These studies highlight the value of strong community links in fighting for improved conditions and against retrenchment.

Labour historians are also increasingly investigating employer labour policies - scientific management, welfarism, employee participation, personnel management and human resource management. Their research highlights the short shelf-life of many management workplace innovations and the tendency to provide `old wine in new bottles'. Through long term analysis labour historians can highlight the possible anti-union consequences of some employer initiatives.

Overall trade unions have played a key role in establishing and promoting Australian labour history. By recognising both the celebratory and analytical role of labour history, trade unions will obtain its full benefits.

Greg Patmore is President of the Sydney Branch of the

Australian Society for the Study of Labour History

   Contact history editor Dr Lucy Taksa

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  Issue 54 contents

Interview: South of the Border
Victorian Trades Hall chief Leigh Hubbard on life under Bracks, militant unionism and why more people march in Melbourne.

Politics: Jeff Shaw's Second Wave
The full text of the NSW Industrial Relations Minister's speech to Labor Council announcing the Carr Government's IR reform agenda.

Unions: Reith's Laws: Just Say NO
The ACTU has called on Labor and the Democrats to reject Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith's anti-industry bargaining Workplace Relations 2000 Bill out right.

History: A Breed Of Their Own
Labour historian Greg Patmore explains what makes his fraternity tick - and why they're still going strong and making history.

International: Sony's Asian Showdown
The Japanese electronic giant Sony is threatening to shutdown production facilities in Indonesia - where a prolonged strike has cost it US$200milliom - and move to next door Malaysia where electronic workers are banned from forming a union.

Human Rights: Good Guys, Bad Guys
Everywhere we look -in our newspapers, on the television, in reports by business leaders, academics and politicians - advocacy of human rights seems to be on a collision course with governmental and business interests.

Review: New Workers, New Challenges
A new wave of thought is arguing that working life is changing - but this doesn't necessarily deal unions out the action.

Satire: Rain Man Withdraws Endorsement of Qantas
After the third major safety incident in the space of a year, Qantas has lost the confidence of the most famous public supporter of its once unblemished safety record, the autistic star of Rain Man, Raymond.

» Carr Moves on Casuals

» Democrats Wavering on Reith Bill

» Exit Visas for Child Care Workers

» GST Pay Claims to Target Allowances

» Tide Turns On Competitive Tendering

» Joy Takes Message To The World

» Mines Out as Rio Tinto Torps Talks

» Political Economy for Activists, 2000

» Unions March for Reconciliation

» STOP PRESS: AK-47s used in coup against union-aligned Fiji Labour Government