PhD explores Order of Australia recipient's ?new way of thinking' for unions

Trade unions need to become more involved in political issues affecting society's "battlers" to remain relevant, as advocated by long-time activist and 2000 Order of Australia recipient Jack Mundey.

Dr Mundey's ?new way of thinking' for the future of trade unionism in Australia is examined in a University of Queensland History PhD thesis by Dr Greg Mallory.

Dr Mallory, an honorary official of the Queensland Teachers' Union, has had a keen interest in trade unionism since his undergraduate days as a student activist at UQ in the 1960s.

His PhD research shows unions must embrace "the social responsibility of labour" and involve themselves in political issues to be relevant today.

"In order for the union movement to develop, it must be concerned about the social responsibility of labour - about whether the workers' labour is being used for the benefit of society," said Dr Mallory.

"One of the points Jack Mundey makes is that unions need to link up with the public and not be totally self-centred. For example, when banks are closing down branches in the country and the pensioners are getting out there and demonstrating, the union should be demonstrating with them.

"The trouble is that unions are often seen as only being concerned about money and individual working conditions? so when unions strike they're portrayed as being evil. If unions were seen to be more aligned and involved with the concerns of the general public, that would enhance their position."

Dr Mallory's thesis also places the landmark Pig-iron dispute of 1938 and the Green Bans of the 1970s in a new conceptual framework.

In 1938 the Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia refused to load pig-iron at Port Kembla, arguing the materials would eventually be used by the Japanese to manufacture ammunition for an invasion of Australia. In the early 1970s the NSW Builders Labourers' Federation refused to demolish terraced houses, destroy parkland or build high-rise buildings in Sydney on the basis of environmental preservation.

Dr Mallory identifies both actions as examples of the social responsibility of labour - situations where trade unions were involved in struggles that were not concerned with wages and conditions, but with broader social issues.

"I think the Green Bans and the Pig-iron dispute showed that workers have a right to a say in major decisions that affect society and that they have been effective when they've refused to allow their labour to be used for what they considered ?destructive' purposes," he said.

For more information, contact Dr Greg Mallory (telephone 3371 0197 or 0407 692 377).