A history of the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia, 1909-1952

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the growth of the Federated Ironworkers’ Association of Australia, and with the policies adopted by the union's officials in their efforts to protect and advance their members' interests. It does not purport to be a social history of Australian ironworkers. My main interest has been in the influence on policy of such factors as the state of the economy, the condition and fluctuations of the metal industries, the nature of the work done by ironworkers, the federal and state arbitration systems, the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Communist Party, the ideas and personalities of individual F.I.A. leaders, and the attitudes and actions of other unions.