The Wool and Basil Workers' Federation of Australia was an Australian trade union which existed between 1890 and 1976.[1] It represented workers employed in scouring and carbonising wool, fellmongery, and the processing of sheep hides into basil (tanned sheepskin).
| Merged into | Australian Workers' Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1890 |
| Dissolved | 1976 |
| Headquarters | 73 Belmont Road, Tingalpa, QLD |
| Location |
|
Members | 1250 (1971)[1] |
| Affiliations | A.C.T.U., A.L.P. |
History edit
The union was first established in 1890, before achieving federal registration in 1912, as the Amalgamated Fellmongers, Woolsorters and Woolscourers' Union of Australia.[1][2] In 1918, the union changed its name to its final form.[2]
John Dacey, a Sydney coachmaker and Member for Botany, where the fellmongering industry was concentrated, helped to organise the Wool and Basil Workers' Union in Sydney.[3] The South Australian trade union leader and later politician Theo Nicholls served as part-time secretary of the union in South Australia, and was active in its organisation.[4]
The Wool and Basil Workers Union was involved in a demarcation dispute with the Australian Textile Workers' Union in 1913 over work done at Botany woollen mills.[5] The dispute was settled following arbitration by the Labour Council.[6]
The Wool and Basil Workers' Union merged with the Australian Workers' Union in 1976.[2]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Rawson, D. W. (1973). "A Handbook of Australian Trade Unions and Employees' Associations – Second Edition". Canberra: The Australian National University. ISBN 0-7081-0634-X
- ^ a b c Smith, Bruce A. created 20 April 2001, last modified 6 August 2010. "Trade Union Entry: Wool & Basil Workers Federation of Australia". Australian Trade Union Archives. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ Bramble, Tom; Kuhn, Rick (2011). "Chapter 2 – In the beginning". Labor's Conflict: Big Business, Workers and the Politics of Class. Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-521-13804-8. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ Millar, Ann (2010). "South Australian Senators". The Biography of the Australian Senate. Vol. 3. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. pp. 185–188. ISBN 978-0-86840-996-2. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "TEXTILE WORKERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 22 September 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "DEMARCATION IN WORK". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 30 October 1913. p. 11. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
External links edit
- awu.net.au The website of the Australian Workers Union, the successor to the Wool and Basil Workers' Federation.