In October 1913 there was a 'Great Strike' that affected all of New Zealand. The strike broke out after Wellington watersiders were penalised for stopping work to discuss a grievance by fellow workers. Wellington at war—the 1913 Strike Spare a thought for Wellington wharfie R. Lloyd, killed on the job in September 1913 when, in the dry, unemotive language of the official record, “a derrick fell on him; no blame attachable to anyone”. Bronze / Copper medal awarded during the Auckland Waterfront Strike of 1913 . 1913 Paterson Silk Strike > Duration: Feb. 25, 1913 to July 28, 1913 20. 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They had withdrawn from the country’s arbitration system in favour of direct negotiations with employers, during which they had the right to strike. On the 20th the UFL announced that a conference of strikers’ delegates had decided to call off the strike immediately for all workers, except miners. Although it was not as violent as the 1913 Waterfront Strike that occurred in key ports of Wellington, Auckland and Chrischurch, it involved more workers and had lasted longer. In Auckland, however, there was a general strike from 8 to 22 November, involving arbitrationist as well as Red Fed unions. Most of the striking unions were affiliated to the United Federation of Labour, the ‘Red Feds’. This site is produced by the History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. This carried over to 1913 when he fought against the striking watersiders. The rise and fall of Local 8 of the IWW, a predominantly Black but integrated union, is the subject of Peter Cole’s gripping Wobblies on the Waterfront. The strike was the culmination of a number of significant short … It began on Wellington's wharves on 22 October 1913 and then spread, by 28th reaching Auckland. The strikers were opposed by the New Zealand Employers’ Federation and the Farmers’ Union. Crowd outside Queens Wharf, Wellington, during the 1913 Waterfront Strike. Longshoremen along the Tacoma waterfront went on strike due to low wages, long hours, and lack of representation. By the end of October, 13,000 Wellington watersiders were out on strike and it was spreading. March along Mansfield Street, Newtown, Wellington, during the Waterfront Strike of 1913 by War on the Wharves Crowd gathered in Post Office Square, Wellington, during the 1913 Waterfront Strike by … The most immediate consequence of the 1913 Waterfront Strike was the recruitment of the specials. Between 14,000 and 16,000 workers went on strike, out of a population of just over one million. ... dockers and waterfront workers, railwaymen, and tram workers. These police had to deal with running street fights by large groups of strikers, and were publicly criticised for not acting with enough force. most notably during the waterfront dispute of 1951. Economic A significant economic cause of the 1913 Waterfront Strike which began in Wellington and spread to other key ports was the ongoing long-term grievance surrounding living standards and working conditions. A significant Economic cause of the 1913 Waterfron strike was the poor living standards and working conditions in which workers had to cope with. In Auckland, when ‘Massey’s Cossacks’ marched down Queen Street to the waterfront, the strike committee called a general strike and most work in the city stopped for several days. A crowd of spectators stand on the side-walk. All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. The Paterson Silk Strike of Paterson, New Jersey lasted from February 1913 until July 1913 and was one of many industrial conflicts that erupted between 1909 and 1913 (Golin, 1992). The key issue of the Great Strike was a power struggle of militant unionists against organised employers and farmers, backed by the government. 1974, First day of competition at Christchurch Commonwealth Games, Home This was made worse when the goverment were handing cheaper loans to farmers because landed property intended with the Labour Market only thinking of themselvs and not the working class people. The 1913 strike is an interesting campaign case because it at once managed to restructure worker-employer relations, while simultaneously having a hugely negative effect on workers – in this way, it warrants extreme gains and losses. Photographer unidentified. SYMPATHY AND VIOLENCE As the strike which began on September 18 continued it gathered a momentum surprising even to the union men. of strikers: 35,000 ... 17. I don't agree with everything he says, but Roth's history is the best short overview of … On 17 December the powerful Federated Seamen’s Union, which had been drawn into the strike against its leaders’ wishes, broke ranks by reaching a deal with shipowners to return to work. 20. Prime Minister William Massey’s Reform Party government gave full state backing to defeating the striking unions. Events Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. Photograph taken by Sydney Charles Smith. He follows this remarkable union from its total shutdown of the waterfront in a 1913 strike to its demise in 1922. 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike > Duration: May 9, 1934 to July 17, 1934 > No. Spectators on sidelines. 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike > Duration: May 9, 1934 to July 17, 1934 > No. Meet the NZHistory.net.nz team, Strikers' meeting in Dunedin (Auckland City Libraries, AWNS-19131120-50-1), The defeat of the 1913 strike – The 1913 Great Strike, Elsdon Best as a special constable – A sense of place, John Cullen biography (Te Ara biographies). One of these, the 1913 Waterfront Strike, was a result of growing unionism and industrial action during the early 1900's in New Zealand, and reflected a crucial flash point in New Zealand's labour history. But on only two occasions, the 1890 Maritime Strike and the 1913 Waterfront Strike, have the military been used in New Zealand in a coercive role during industrial disputes.2 Military intervention had a significant impact on the course of these strikes, particularly in 1913. This site is produced by the History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 1913 Paterson Silk Strike > Duration: Feb. 25, 1913 to July 28, 1913 Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. A sea of hats surrounds the gates to the Wellington wharves in the first days of the great waterfront strike of 1913. The IWW (International Workers of the World) believed through direct action they would gain control of the economy. Many of the strike leaders were arrested for sedition, that is, inciting people to disobey rules or laws. In the booming years just before WWI, Wellington’s port was the … It's 100 years since an attempted general strike in New Zealand, so here's an article from Bert Roth on the pinnacle of that dispute, the Auckland general strike of 1913. The 1913 waterfront strike emerged due to the issues over pay and working conditions. The 1913 Great Strike. The following is a list of specific strikes (workers refusing to work in an attempt to change their conditions in a particular industry or an individual workplace, or in solidarity with those in another particular workplace) and general strikes (widespread refusal of workers to work in an organized political campaign on a broader national or international level). All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. 20 December It was the largest and most disruptive strike in New Zealand's history. The strike began with watersiders’ and miners’ unions. Massey. At its height, it brought the economy of New Zealand almost to a halt. A general strike in Auckland, which began on 8 November and involved more than 10,000 workers, was called off on the 22nd (except for watersiders, seamen, drivers and tramwaymen). Farmers and rural labourers formed the core of the mounted special constables, who were known derisively as ‘Massey’s Cossacks’. The specials were a Farmers Army organised by John Cullen, a police commissioner who was also called the previous year by Prime Minister Massey during the Waihi Strike. The farmers’ interests were at stake. 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