Maritime Union of Australia
Bookworms
The MUA was born from the marriage of the Waterside Workers' Federation and the Seamen's Union of Australia in 1993. Books that trace their histories & highlight and record our labour culture include:
Voices from the Ships: Australian seafarers and their union by Diane Kirkby
Voices highlights the unique international nature of seafaring and its distinguished history of political activism and union organisation.
[Read more]
The Seamen's Union of Australia 1872-1972: A history by Brian Fitzpatrick and Rowan J. Cahill.
This 'warts and all' history reveals faction fighting within the union, the strengths and weaknesses of people who endeavoured to lead and mislead the rank and file, and the ability of union officials to handle crises.
Wharfies: A History of the Waterside Workers' Federation by Margo Beasley
The book traces the turbulent story of the wharfies' union up to its amalgamation with the Seamen's Union in 1993, when it became the Maritime Union of Australia.
War on the Waterfront: Menzies, Japan and the Pig-iron Dispute by Rupert Lockwood
The arrival in Port Kembla Harbour in November 1938 of a grimy British tramp, the Dalfram, to load pig-iron for Japan coincided with Japan's barbarous war on China and preparation for southward thrust.
Black Armada: Australia & the struggle for Indonesian independence 1942-49, by Rupert Lockwood
An incisive account of Australian assistance to the Indonesian rebellion against the Dutch.
Ship to Shore: A history of Melbourne's waterfront and Its Union Struggles by Rupert Lockwood
Melbourne Waterfront, 'the most notorious port in the world,' was for a long time infamous for its high rate of crime, its inefficient, unjust management, and its employees' uncivilised, unsanitary and dangerous working conditions.
Life on the Waterfront: Tas Bull, an autobiography
"A fascinating insight into the people, the politics & the events that helped shape Tas Bull as an outstanding union leader & committed political activist" - Jennie George
One hundred years of a union's life is an occasion well worth celebrating and the publication of the historical background of the period is a most appropriate way of doing that.
Defiance: Political Theatre in Brisbane 1930-1962, by Connie Healy
They were young and serious about changing the world. They believed in popular culture. They loved theatre. They stood in support of workers' struggles, denounced the rise of fascism and all forms of social injustices. They were the New Theatres of Australia.
Maritime Paintings of Early Australia, 1788-1900
The sea is integral to the life of Australians. It was especially so for immigrants and native-born Australians, during the first 150 years or so of settlement.
Under the Hook, by Wendy Lowenstein and Tom Hills
The powerful and at times moving oral history of Melbourne's waterside workers between 1900 and 19. But the Patrick dispute left the first edition of Under the Hook a little short of the mark. So a new edition of the book now includes another chapter of Australian working class history.
Politics in the Union: The Hursey Case by Tas Bull (1977)
Between 1956 and 1959 the Hursey case made the front pages in the newspapers of Australia. Frank Hursey and his son Dennis were waterside workers in Hobart who refused to pay a levy imposed by the union for the support of the Australian Labor Party during an election campaign. They were expelled from the union.
ssitem: /ssi/site_footer.html