Ship to Shore: A history of Melbourne's waterfront and Its Union Struggles

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.

When General MacArthur's US forces arrived in Melbourne in 1942, they were astounded at the disorder they found: waterfront foremen who demanded bribe s for jobs; a pecking order for labour engagement which operated along the lines of a caste system; and shipowners who flagrantly violated health laws by providing grossly inadequate facilities for their employees - one shower per thousand workers and one toilet per 150 men.