The National Labour History Conference:
Don’t forget that the 16th Biennial Conference of the ASSLH will be held in Perth between 3-5 October this year.
The overall Conference theme is Activism, Struggle and Labour History and the draft program put together by the organisers features nearly 70 papers on various sub-themes; keynote speakers include Ralph Darlington, Emeritus Professor of Employment Relations at Salford Business School, University of Salford, UK, Diane Kirkby, Professor of Law & Humanities, UTS and Research Professor (Emeritus) at La Trobe University and Sally McManus, Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Further information about the keynote speakers is available on the Conference website https://www.labourhistory.org.au/2019-conference/
There will also be a conference dinner and several side events, including a heritage walk and tour. Registration is now open at https://www.labourhistory.org.au/2019-conference/conference-registration/ .
There is a very affordable concession rate for unwaged/low income/student attendees. It promises to be a great Conference, so we encourage you to register soon and start planning a Spring trip to WA!
Icons of the Labour Movement:
If you’re familiar with our Sydney Branch ASSLH website, you’ll have noticed we have a dedicated page to record places and objects connected to labour heritage.
Throughout NSW there are many places, buildings and monuments, often little known, that have associations with the Labour Movement. If you know of a labour icon – perhaps an often-overlooked monument, rendered invisible in plain sight, a house associated with a labour movement figure, the site of an industrial struggle or the former location of union offices or regular union meetings, please do send us the details (to either the Branch addresses or to individual members of the Branch Executive Committee, as listed in Hummer and on our webpage) and we’ll put it up on our Icons page. Even better, send us a photograph or two as well if you can. Additional information about or corrections to items already on the page are also most welcome.
We hope that Sydney Branch ASSLH members and supporters outside the Sydney metropolitan area – indeed, all those who don’t find it easy to get to our talks – will find this a rewarding way to get involved in Branch activities. It’s also a first step towards a long-term Branch plan to help update the information in Terry Irving and Lucy Taksa’s excellent book, Places, Protests and Memorabilia: The Labour Heritage Register of New South Wales (UNSW Studies in Australian Industrial Relations Number 43, 2002). If you haven’t already done so, do check out the Register for relevant places in your area, or places that you visit, and take a look to see their current condition.
Women of Steel – The Jobs for Women Film Project:
Many of you will know about this project to produce a film about the legendary 14-year struggle of a small group of working class and migrant women – the Women Against AIS – to gain employment at the steelworks in Wollongong. Their battle against BHP, the country’s richest and most powerful company, took them from factory gate to the highest court in the land and changed the rules for women throughout Australia.
The film is now close to completion, but more funds are needed for the final and most expensive stage. You can view the trailer for the film and find out all about the project, including how to donate to help complete the film, on their website http://www.jobsforwomenfilm.com/ . (It’s also possible to make a tax-deductible donation through the Documentary Australia Foundation – more information on the website.)
Call for Participants: Women in the Federated Clerks Union and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (1969–83):
Freya Willis, an ANU Honours student, is seeking participants (women and men) who worked at or were members of either the FCU or the AMIEU for any period of time between 1969 and 1983 who would be willing to be interviewed for an Honours thesis examining the role of women in the trade union movement.
Freya is interested in speaking to participants about union campaigns on matters affecting women (eg equal pay, maternity leave and social security), the problems facing women workers in the meat and clerical industries and the experiences of women unionists.
If you (or someone you know) is interested in participating or would like to learn more, please contact Freya Willis at u5784374@anu.edu.au .
(This project has ANU Ethics Clearance, Protocol Number: 2019/171.)
| Hummer welcomes items to be placed on the Bulletin Board. Please send any items you would like us to include to Danny Blackman at the Sydney Branch ASSLH email address: sydneybranch.asslh@gmail.com |