Victorian building workers and unions 1856-90

Abstract

This thesis examines work and unions in the Victorian building industry between 1856 and 1890. It presents reasons to rethink the character of the nineteenth century Australian labour movement on the basis of the experiences, ideas and institutions of these building workers, whose craft unions have been contrasted to the new unions of semi- and unskilled occupations that formed in the 1880s. From detailed evidence on each building trades' work, common dimensions of working experience, and changes in work between 1860 and 1890, the first part of the thesis argues that skilled building workers were not labour aristocrats. There was diversity in their working experiences which led to conflict and cooperation with both their employers and fellow workers. Conflicts emerged, particularly during the building boom of the 1880s, when a massive expansion of the industry affected craft labour markets and some social values. The second part of the thesis recounts the history of the building unions from their attainment of an eight hour working day in 1856 to a crisis of "sweating" in the building industry in 1890. While the unions had early successes, there were many difficulties faced by these institutions in subsequent years. My research suggests a large number of revisions and enrichments of common understandings of nineteenth century unions. In particular, the thesis argues for an understanding of the social world of the unionists, which included a complex intellectual and social relationship to liberalism, rivalries and friendships between officials, and sustaining moral values embodied in the conduct of unions. Despite growing organisational strength, the building unions had neither strong collective agreements with employers nor control of craft labour markets. The contrasting examples of key individuals, William Murphy and Ben Douglass, are discussed to show tradition and change at work in the building unions. While Murphy embraced change, including that commonly attributed to the new unions of the 1880s, Douglass resisted organisational and ideological developments by retreating to the eight hour day tradition. This tradition was the building unions' major cultural contribution to the Victorian labour movement. Finally, the thesis concludes by suggesting that a more complex interpretation of nineteenth century labour history invites a re-examination of the relationships between colonial and modem labour movements. While 1890 was in many ways a turning point in labour history, there were important connections between "new" and "old" unionists, and between nineteenth century working class liberalism and twentieth century labour's social ideas. Show more