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A History of Victorian Public Service Unionism 1885-1946

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From Servants to Citizens: A History of Victorian Public Service Unionism 1885-1946 Dustin Raffaele Halse Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Swinburne Institute for Social Research Swinburne University of Technology 2015 Abstract The history of Victorian departmental public service unionism had its genesis in the era of ‘New Unionism’ in the 1880s. On 17 June 1885, a group of approximately 1,000 Victorian public servants packed into Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre to create Australia’s first state departmental public service union. And yet despite its age, Victorian departmental public service unionism has seldom been the subject of serious historical analysis. It has alternatively been posited that public servants are devoid of the ‘bonds of class feelings’. Public servants have commonly been treated as a residual class in both Marxist and non-Marxist labour history writings. This dissertation therefore fills an obvious lacuna in Australian trade union historiography. It focuses on the experiences of ordinary Victorian public service unionists and the actions of the various configurations of Victorian service unionism from 1885-1946. The central argument of this history is that public service unionists, with the aid of the public service union, challenged the theoretical and practical limitations placed upon their political and industrial citizenship. Indeed, public servants refused to accept the traditional ‘servant’ stereotype. Throughout this dissertation the regulations governing the unique employment status of public servants are revealed. What becomes evident is that public service unionists are frequently subjected to extreme levels of political coercion as a direct result of the historical influence of the master and servant legacy. Successive governments were reluctant to frame public servants as industrial employees and thus they continually thwarted the attempts public service unionists to secure expanded industrial rights and recognition. The themes of growth, crisis and regeneration are apparent throughout this history. In the six decade period under investigation the public service union and its members are forced to navigate through two major economic Depressions and a hostile political environment. At first the union fixed its focus upon the establishment of political rights for public service employees. This campaign successfully concludes in 1916 and the attention of the union turns then to organisational expansion and the imposition of a range of industrial rights. The hopes of the public service union and its members are periodically spiked in line with the intermittent parliamentary ii advances of the Victorian Labor Party. By the mid-point of the 1940s the decades long campaign of public service unionists for expanded industrial rights is poised for success. Throughout this history it is obvious that bonds of class feeling, while periodically tested, were developed among public servants and a unique public service work culture was forged. iii Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge and thank my supervisors Professor Brian Costar and Dr. Julie Kimber for their guidance and continuous encouragement. They were fantastic throughout this project and amazing at its conclusion. Brian’s pragmatic advice and encyclopaedic knowledge of all things ‘political’ has made this journey much more obliging. His standing among Australia’s political science community needs no comment. Brian’s love of a humorous anecdote and warm nature have also meant that this endeavour has been mostly enjoyable. Julie’s frank advice and passion for the study of labour and social history has been particularly formative upon my outlook. She is an outstanding mentor and a fine scholar. It is a pleasure to list both Brian and Julie among my friends. I would also like to acknowledge Professor Denise Meredyth who was instrumental in supporting my desire to pursue a Ph.D. when I commenced at the Swinburne Institute for Social Research. Thanks should also be paid to the many staff at Swinburne University who have helped me in more ways than can be listed here in this acknowledgements. It would be remiss of me not to mention my small group of fellow Ph.D. students and sessional tutors who I have built strong friendships with during my time at Swinburne University. To Kerry, Rob, Ben and Scott thanks for keeping the mood rather light hearted and for engaging in lengthy discussions about the nature of society through the prism of all things sport. To the staff at the Public Records Office of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria, thank you for your assistance in tracking down various publications hidden away in boxes unopened in years and decades. A special thank you is reserved for Karen Batt and the staff at the Victorian Branch of the Community and Public Sector Union/State Public Service Federation. For your encouragement and support, in more ways that one, I am indebted. iv Lastly, I would like to thank my immediate and extended families for their support. I pay particular homage to two people. To my loving and generous mother Elli I say thank you for all that you have done in assisting me during the course of this project. To my loving wife Rachel I thank you for sticking by me during what has been a challenging few years; I hope I can return the favour in full. I dedicate this thesis to the many casual academics across Australia who are doing it tough, and, to the many Victorian public service unionists who are proud of their history. v Declaration This thesis contains no material that has been accepted for the award of another degree at a university or any other educational institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person or persons, except where due reference has been made. Dustin Raffaele Halse vi Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction -1- 1. 1 Research Context: Labour and Trade Union Historiography…… -2- 1. 2 Methodological Approach……………………………………….. -10- 1. 3 Structure of the Dissertation……………………………………... -14- Chapter 2 Citizens Who Serve: The Political Rights of Victorian -16- Public Servants 1856-1916 2. 1 The Genesis of the Victorian Public Service…………………….. -18- 2. 2 A Constitution at Last……………………………………………. -22- 2. 3 The Net of Control Grows Wider………………………………... -24- 2. 4 The 1890s Depression and the Demonising of the Public Service. -29- 2. 5 George Turner: An Unexpected Leader…………………………. -32- 2. 6 A Clash of Populist Ideologies…………………………………... -34- 2. 7 Cometh the Hour, Cometh the ‘Iceberg’…………………………. -37- 2. 8 Abolishing Special Representation………………………………. -42- 2. 9 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -48- Chapter 3 Victorian Public Service Unionists Answering the Call -50- 1914-18 3. 1 The Balkan Powder Keg Explodes………………………………. -50- 3. 2 Public Servants at the Front……………………………………… -56- 3. 3 There will be Poverty, Discontent and Crime……………………. -60- 3. 4 The ‘Little Tzar’, Mannix and an Expanding Union…………….. -62- 3. 5 The Blackburn and Hendy Affairs……………………………….. -76- 3. 6 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -82- Chapter 4 Disunity, Chaos and Rebirth 1918-1921 -84- 4. 1 In the Lap of the Gods…………………………………………… -84- 4. 2 Internal Divisions Intensify……………………………………… -92- 4. 3 The Tale of Two Unions…………………………………………. -98- 4. 4 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -106- Chapter 5 The Quest for an Independent Industrial Tribunal -108- Commences 1921-1922 5. 1 A New Beginning………………………………………………... -108- 5. 2 We Ask for the Same Rights Enjoyed by Others………………… -118- 5. 3 Mr. Lawson your Opposition to our Claims is Futile……………. -126- 5. 4 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -134- vii Chapter 6 In Pursuit of Commonwealth Industrial Registration -135- 1922-1924 6. 1 The King Can Do No Wrong…………………………………….. -135- 6. 2 The Formation of the Australian Public Service Association……. -140- 6. 3 The Die is Cast…………………………………………………… -145- 6. 4 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -153- Chapter 7 Superannuation and the Rise of Arthur Calwell 1924- -155- 1928 7. 1 The Worker Feels he is a Mere Puppet…………………………... -155- 7. 2 Political Battles are Fought With the Gloves Off………………... -164- 7. 3 Bringing Advancement Along Labor Lines……………………… -174- 7. 4 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -182- Chapter 8 In the Wilderness: Depression and the Slow Recovery -184- 1928-1938 8. 1 An Orgy of Speculation………………………………………….. -184- 8. 2 Principles Should Override Expediency Every Time……………. -194- 8. 3 The Lost Years and the Slow Recovery………………………….. -200- 8. 4 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -209- Chapter 9 The Mecca of Our Hopes: The Establishment of the -211- Public Service Wages Board 1939-1946 9. 1 New Leadership Brings a Fresh Start……………………………. -211- 9. 2 World War Two and the Basic Wage……………………………. -215- 9. 3 Emperor Dunstan and the Rise of the Women’s Division……….. -222- 9. 4 The Fight is On: Campaigning for an Independent Tribunal…….. -227- 9. 5 Eureka: ‘Fat Albert’ Falls and an Independent Public Service Board is Established……………………………………………… -232- 9. 6 Conclusion……………………………………………………….. -239- Chapter 10 Conclusion………………………………………………. -240- BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………… -242- APPENDIX 1 Union Leadership 1885-1950………………………… -258- LIST OF PUBLICATIONS ………………………………………… -259- viii List of Illustrations Page Figure 1: “The Submerged Public Servant” PSJV, 29 -62- September 1917. Figure 2: “John McKellar” Labor Call, 12 March 1925. -166- Figure 3: “No Tripe” PSJV, 25 September 1930. -197- Figure 4: “The Marathon Runner” PSJV, 25
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