1890 Australian Maritime Dispute (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The 1890 Australian Maritime Dispute, commonly known as the 1890 Maritime Strike, was on a scale unprecedented in the Australian colonies to that point in time, causing political and social turmoil across all Australian colonies and in New Zealand, including the collapse of colonial governments in the colonies of Victoria and New South Wales. It was the first of four great strikes that rocked Australasia in the 1890s, and though it ended in defeat for the Australian labour movement, it demonstrated the growing social power of trade union organisation co-ordinated by Trades and Labour Councils, and was an important cause in the introduction of the arbitration system for industrial disputes and the formation of the Australian Labor Party. The dispute began on 15 August 1890 when the Mercantile Marine Officers' Association directed its members to give 24 hours' notice to their employers after negotiations broke down with the Steamship Owners' Association of Victoria over longstanding pay and conditions claims. Industrial action quickly spread to seamen, wharf labourers, then gas stockers.