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| | injuries = | | injuries = | ||
| | arrests = | | arrests = | ||
| | side1 = Unionised ] miners | | side1 = Unionised ] miners, ] | ||
| | side2 = ] | | side2 = ] | ||
| | leadfigures1 = | | leadfigures1 = | ||
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| == Background == | == Background == | ||
| ], also known as ] (CRA), is a subsidiary of the Anglo-Australian multinational ] corporation, one of the largest mining and metals corporations in the world. The ], located in the town of ] in ], Australia, is owned by Comalco.<ref name="Militant Widespread">{{cite web|date=11 December 1995|title=Miners Strike Wins Widespread Support In Australia |url=https://themilitant.com/1995/5946/5946_6.html|author-last=Aiken|author-first=Bob|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | |||
| ] ] ] ] ] | |||
| In ], the ] won a majority in the Australian federal parliament, allowing it to form a government under ]. One of the first acts of the Labor Party government would be to sign the ] with the ], in which unions agreed to reduce industrial action and their demands for higher wages, while taking on responsibility for the growth of the Australian economy. In exchange, the Labor Party government promised to increase welfare spending and to implement tax cuts. The Accord, and the ], would last until the ].<ref>{{cite web|date=12 December 1995|title=Lessons from the Weipa struggle|url=https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/lessons-weipa-struggle|author-last=Bull|author-first=Sue|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=24 April 2017|title=Australian politics explainer: the Prices and Incomes Accord|url=https://theconversation.com/australian-politics-explainer-the-prices-and-incomes-accord-75622|author-last=Forsyth|author-first=Anthony|access-date=14 December 2024|work=The Conversation}}</ref> | |||
| == History == | == History == | ||
| Line 34: | Line 36: | ||
| <ref>{{cite web|date=11 November 1995|title=Comalco sues Weipa workers|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130569734|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | <ref>{{cite web|date=11 November 1995|title=Comalco sues Weipa workers|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130569734|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| <ref>{{cite web|date=16 November 1995|title=ACTU move turns heat on Brereton|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130570674|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | On 15 November, the ] (ACTU) announced that maritime workers across Australia would be launching a five-day ] to support the Weipa miners. The ACTU also announced that it was planning an additional seven-day sympathy strike involving all miners across the country, aiming to begin on 21 November.<ref name="Trove Heat">{{cite web|date=16 November 1995|title=ACTU move turns heat on Brereton|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130570674|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| On 18 November, the ACTU and Comalco agreed to have the dispute submitted to binding AIRC arbitration. | |||
| <ref>{{cite web|date=18 November 1995|title=Weipa crisis: judge steps in|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130571185|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | <ref>{{cite web|date=18 November 1995|title=Weipa crisis: judge steps in|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130571185|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
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| <ref>{{cite web|date=21 November 1995|title=Weipa workers defend union rights|url=https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/weipa-workers-defend-union-rights|author-last=Thompson|author-first=Jennifer|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | <ref>{{cite web|date=21 November 1995|title=Weipa workers defend union rights|url=https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/weipa-workers-defend-union-rights|author-last=Thompson|author-first=Jennifer|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| On 21 November, AIRC president ] announced the terms of the settlement the AIRC would impose on the two sides. The settlement included an 8 |
On 21 November, AIRC president ] announced the terms of the settlement the AIRC would impose on the two sides. The settlement included an 8% pay rise for the striking miners, back pay from 1 March 1994, as well as Comalco dropping its lawsuit against the miners. In return, the striking miners would be forced to end the strike with immediate effect.<ref>{{cite web|date=22 November 1995|title=IRC orders Comalco to give workers 8pc more|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130572108|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> In the settlement ruling, the AIRC stated that the Australian industrial relations system was "based upon collective processses as the means of providing terms and conditions of employment."<ref name="Trove Grit"/> The AIRC further accused Comalco of attempting to "deliberately seeking to eliminate the role of the unions at the workplace through the establishment of individual staff contracts," which the AIRC called "inconsistent with the central role that registered organisations are given under the Industrial Relations Act in the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes. The Commission has a statutory obligation to encourage registered organisations."<ref name="Trove Grit">{{cite web|date=23 November 1995|title=Bosses grit teeth and wait|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130572495|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| On 24 November, five of the miners taking part in the floating picket line were arrested.<ref>{{cite web|date=25 November 1995|title=Five arrested in blockade|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130572869|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | On 24 November, five of the miners taking part in the floating picket line were arrested.<ref>{{cite web|date=25 November 1995|title=Five arrested in blockade|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130572869|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| On 29 November, the striking miners voted not to fight the imposed settlement and to return to work on 1 December, ending the strike.<ref>{{cite web|date=29 November 1995|title=CRA issues threat to those still on strike|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130573711|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=30 November 1995|title=Workers at Weipa back tomorrow|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130573822|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | On 29 November, the striking miners voted not to fight the imposed settlement and to return to work on 1 December, ending the strike.<ref>{{cite web|date=29 November 1995|title=CRA issues threat to those still on strike|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130573711|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=30 November 1995|title=Workers at Weipa back tomorrow|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130573822|author-last=Taylor|author-first=Mike|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| <ref>{{cite web|date=11 December 1995|title=Miners Strike Wins Widespread Support In Australia |url=https://themilitant.com/1995/5946/5946_6.html|author-last=Aiken|author-first=Bob|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | |||
| <ref>{{cite web|date=12 December 1995|title=Lessons from the Weipa struggle|url=https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/lessons-weipa-struggle|author-last=Bull|author-first=Sue|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | |||
| <ref>{{cite web|date=24 January 1996|title=IRC ruling no cause for gloating|url=https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/irc-ruling-no-cause-for-gloating-19960124-k6qkr|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | <ref>{{cite web|date=24 January 1996|title=IRC ruling no cause for gloating|url=https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/irc-ruling-no-cause-for-gloating-19960124-k6qkr|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| Line 66: | Line 66: | ||
| === Industry === | === Industry === | ||
| ] chief executive Michael Pinnock stated that it was "worrying that the coal industry is being used as a tool in any industrial dispute because it is further affecting Australia's reputation as a reliable supplier in the face of increased overseas competition."<ref>{{cite web|date=13 November 1995|title=Unions accused of using industry|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130570016|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ] chief executive Michael Pinnock stated that it was "worrying that the coal industry is being used as a tool in any industrial dispute because it is further affecting Australia's reputation as a reliable supplier in the face of increased overseas competition."<ref>{{cite web|date=13 November 1995|title=Unions accused of using industry|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130570016|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> ] president Ian Salmon stated that "we're seeing the emergence of a form of militancy which we've been free of for a long time."<ref name="Militant Widespread"/> | ||
| === Politicians === | |||
| Liberal Party leader and Leader of the Opposition ] accused ] ] of failing to act to solve the dispute, saying that "on the one hand, Mr. Brereton says that there is no need to change the law, but on the other, he is critical of CRA."<ref name="Trove Heat"/> | |||
| === Other === | |||
| The ] offered support to the striking miners, with several hundred of its members signing a petition in support of the strikers and the strikers being granted permission to use land in ] for picketing.<ref name="Militant Widespread"/> The striking miners also received a letter of support from the ], who compared the dispute to the ] over the ] in ], also owned by Rio Tinto.<ref name="Militant Widespread"/> | |||
| == Analysis == | == Analysis == | ||
| Line 72: | Line 78: | ||
| ] of '']'' described the Weipa mine as "a snapshot taken partway through the process of change which Australia's mining industry has undergone" and the dispute as "a lurch backwards, a blast of anger from the past, but it is less likely to reverse this process than it is to redefine it."<ref>{{cite web|date=16 December 1995|title=Don't weep for those at Weipa The life of the modern miner, although tough and hard, is not all dust, dry bread and beer|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/133920393|author-last=Grose|author-first=Simon|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ] of '']'' described the Weipa mine as "a snapshot taken partway through the process of change which Australia's mining industry has undergone" and the dispute as "a lurch backwards, a blast of anger from the past, but it is less likely to reverse this process than it is to redefine it."<ref>{{cite web|date=16 December 1995|title=Don't weep for those at Weipa The life of the modern miner, although tough and hard, is not all dust, dry bread and beer|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/133920393|author-last=Grose|author-first=Simon|access-date=14 December 2024|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| Nicholas Way of the '']'' stated that Comalco's "long-term strategy has been to have all its workers on individual contracts," a strategy which "evolves from a corporate philosophy of nearly two decades, which says employees work best when their only allegiance is to the company."<ref name="AFR Split">{{cite web|date=27 November 1995|title=Union solidarity over Weipa hides a split|url=https://www.afr.com/companies/union-solidarity-over-weipa-hides-a-split-19951127-kay5s|author-last=Way|author-first=Nicholas|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> Way also stated that the strategy's success or not depended on "weaknesses in the trade union movement," saying that "unions, to various degrees, lost touch with members at the very time |
Nicholas Way of the '']'' stated that Comalco's "long-term strategy has been to have all its workers on individual contracts," a strategy which "evolves from a corporate philosophy of nearly two decades, which says employees work best when their only allegiance is to the company."<ref name="AFR Split">{{cite web|date=27 November 1995|title=Union solidarity over Weipa hides a split|url=https://www.afr.com/companies/union-solidarity-over-weipa-hides-a-split-19951127-kay5s|author-last=Way|author-first=Nicholas|access-date=20 November 2024|work=]}}</ref> Way also stated that the strategy's success or not depended on "weaknesses in the trade union movement," saying that "unions, to various degrees, lost touch with members at the very time CRA was training its management to reach out to them. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the ]."<ref name="AFR Split"/> | ||
| === Historical assessments === | === Historical assessments === | ||
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| Weipa Dispute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 13 October 1995 (1995-10-13) – 30 November 1995 (1995-11-30) | ||
| Location | Weipa, Queensland, Australia | ||
| Methods | Strike action | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
The Weipa Dispute was a six-week-long strike and industrial dispute at the Weipa mine in Australia, from from 13 October to 30 November 1995.
Background
Comalco, also known as Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA), is a subsidiary of the Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto corporation, one of the largest mining and metals corporations in the world. The Weipa bauxite mine, located in the town of Weipa in Far North Queensland, Australia, is owned by Comalco.
In 1983, the Australian Labor Party won a majority in the Australian federal parliament, allowing it to form a government under Bob Hawke. One of the first acts of the Labor Party government would be to sign the Prices and Incomes Accord with the Australian Council of Trade Unions, in which unions agreed to reduce industrial action and their demands for higher wages, while taking on responsibility for the growth of the Australian economy. In exchange, the Labor Party government promised to increase welfare spending and to implement tax cuts. The Accord, and the Labor Party government, would last until the 1996 Australian federal election.
History
On 13 October 1995, the 75 unionised miners voted unanimously to launch strike action. They would subsequently set up the first picket line in Weipa's history blocking a bridge on the Mission River. The striking miners then set up a further picket line using boats to block the port of Weipa after the company attempted to circumvent the picket line by ferrying non-unionised workers across the river.
On 10 November, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) announced that it would allow the company to take common-law action against the striking miners. The company subsequently filed a motion with the Supreme Court of Queensland asking for an injuction against the miners.
On 15 November, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) announced that maritime workers across Australia would be launching a five-day sympathy strike to support the Weipa miners. The ACTU also announced that it was planning an additional seven-day sympathy strike involving all miners across the country, aiming to begin on 21 November.
On 18 November, the ACTU and Comalco agreed to have the dispute submitted to binding AIRC arbitration.
On 21 November, AIRC president Deirdre O'Connor announced the terms of the settlement the AIRC would impose on the two sides. The settlement included an 8% pay rise for the striking miners, back pay from 1 March 1994, as well as Comalco dropping its lawsuit against the miners. In return, the striking miners would be forced to end the strike with immediate effect. In the settlement ruling, the AIRC stated that the Australian industrial relations system was "based upon collective processses as the means of providing terms and conditions of employment." The AIRC further accused Comalco of attempting to "deliberately seeking to eliminate the role of the unions at the workplace through the establishment of individual staff contracts," which the AIRC called "inconsistent with the central role that registered organisations are given under the Industrial Relations Act in the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes. The Commission has a statutory obligation to encourage registered organisations."
On 24 November, five of the miners taking part in the floating picket line were arrested.
On 29 November, the striking miners voted not to fight the imposed settlement and to return to work on 1 December, ending the strike.
Reactions
Trade unions
Prominent trade unionist Bill Kelty described the Weipa Dispute in November 1995 as "a line in the sand. For us to be beaten is for the union movement to lose its heart, its soul and its purpose." Australian Workers' Union Victorian secretary Bob Smith called for AWU president Bill Ludwig to resign over his handling of the dispute, particularly calling Ludwig's overseas travel during the dispute a "disgraceful act."
Industry
Queensland Chamber of Mines chief executive Michael Pinnock stated that it was "worrying that the coal industry is being used as a tool in any industrial dispute because it is further affecting Australia's reputation as a reliable supplier in the face of increased overseas competition." Business Council of Australia president Ian Salmon stated that "we're seeing the emergence of a form of militancy which we've been free of for a long time."
Politicians
Liberal Party leader and Leader of the Opposition John Howard accused Minister for Industrial Relations Laurie Brereton of failing to act to solve the dispute, saying that "on the one hand, Mr. Brereton says that there is no need to change the law, but on the other, he is critical of CRA."
Other
The Aboriginal Shire of Napranum offered support to the striking miners, with several hundred of its members signing a petition in support of the strikers and the strikers being granted permission to use land in Napranum for picketing. The striking miners also received a letter of support from the Bougainville Freedom Movement, who compared the dispute to the conflict over the Panguna mine in Bougainville, also owned by Rio Tinto.
Analysis
Contemporary
Simon Grose of The Canberra Times described the Weipa mine as "a snapshot taken partway through the process of change which Australia's mining industry has undergone" and the dispute as "a lurch backwards, a blast of anger from the past, but it is less likely to reverse this process than it is to redefine it."
Nicholas Way of the Australian Financial Review stated that Comalco's "long-term strategy has been to have all its workers on individual contracts," a strategy which "evolves from a corporate philosophy of nearly two decades, which says employees work best when their only allegiance is to the company." Way also stated that the strategy's success or not depended on "weaknesses in the trade union movement," saying that "unions, to various degrees, lost touch with members at the very time CRA was training its management to reach out to them. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the AWU."
Historical assessments
Peter Lewis of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has described the Weipa Dispute as "fundamental to the development of Australian labour relations," saying that it aimed to ensure "that corporations can't actively discriminate against union members."
In popular culture
Paddy Gorman, then editor of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union's journal Common Cause, published a book in 1996 titled Weipa: Where Australian unions drew their 'line in the sand' with CRA about the Dispute.
References
- ^ Aiken, Bob (11 December 1995). "Miners Strike Wins Widespread Support In Australia". The Militant. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Bull, Sue (12 December 1995). "Lessons from the Weipa struggle". Green Left. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Forsyth, Anthony (24 April 2017). "Australian politics explainer: the Prices and Incomes Accord". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Ross, Liz (1 January 2020). "Defending Unionism: The Weipa Dispute, 1995". Commons Social Change Library. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- Jackson, Carl (26 November 2015). "The Weipa strike: when 75 workers took on a mining giant". Red Flag. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Davis, Mark (23 October 1995). "80 on strike in CRA war". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Mason, Bill (14 November 1995). "Strike spreads over Comalco writs at Weipa". Green Left. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- "Comalco sues Weipa workers". The Canberra Times. 11 November 1995. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Mike (16 November 1995). "ACTU move turns heat on Brereton". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Taylor, Mike (18 November 1995). "Weipa crisis: judge steps in". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Taylor, Mike (20 November 1995). "Defiant coal unions refuse to call off strike". Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Thompson, Jennifer (21 November 1995). "Weipa workers defend union rights". Green Left. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Taylor, Mike (22 November 1995). "IRC orders Comalco to give workers 8pc more". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Mike (23 November 1995). "Bosses grit teeth and wait". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "Five arrested in blockade". The Canberra Times. 25 November 1995. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "CRA issues threat to those still on strike". The Canberra Times. 29 November 1995. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Taylor, Mike (30 November 1995). "Workers at Weipa back tomorrow". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "IRC ruling no cause for gloating". Australian Financial Review. 24 January 1996. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Vassilopoulos, James (25 June 1997). "Union renewal at Weipa". Green Left. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Floyd, Louise Willans (1 January 1999). "Weipa and the wharves: Australian strike law" (PDF). University of Tasmanian Law Review. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Fetter, Joel (1 December 2002). "The Strategic Use of Individual Employment Agreements: Three Case Studies". Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Peter (21 October 2015). "20 years after Weipa, the union movement must maintain that 'line in the sand'". ABC News. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- "Time for AWU boss to resign: official". The Canberra Times. 24 November 1995. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "Unions accused of using industry". The Canberra Times. 13 November 1995. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Grose, Simon (16 December 1995). "Don't weep for those at Weipa The life of the modern miner, although tough and hard, is not all dust, dry bread and beer". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ Way, Nicholas (27 November 1995). "Union solidarity over Weipa hides a split". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- Thompson, Jennifer (28 February 1996). "Weipa: record of a strike". Green Left. Retrieved 20 November 2024.