1891 Australian shearers' strike

The shearers ' strike (English Shearer 's Strike or Great Shearer 's Strike called ) in Queensland in Australia took place in 1891. This strike is considered one of the most important events of the early labor movement in Australia and lasted four months. The strike made ​​an occasion for later founding the Australian Labor Party, which continues to this day. In the course of the strike took place on May 1 in the places Barcaldine with 1,340 and in Charleville striking with about 600 sheep shearers to the first two 1 - May Day demonstrations in Australia.

This strike is part of the strike movements in the Australian economic depression from 1889 to 1894 with the Maritime Strike (1890), Broken Hill strike (1892 ) and the Second shearers ' strike (1894 ).

Preparations for a strike

The strike took place at the end of almost 40 years continuing economic prosperity of Australia, which was characterized by gold discoveries, strong immigration, successful land clearance and an increasing export of agricultural goods. This epoch is in Australia as the " Golden Age" ( Golden Age ) refers to the einmündete in a long-lasting economic depression.

The shearers 'strike was preceded by the so-called Maritime Strike of Mercantile Marine Officers' Association from August to November, 1890, in which the trade union of seafarers and port workers as well as the miners had been involved in coal mines. This strike, which is referred to in Australia as the Great Strike, not ended despite participation of tens of thousands of strikers with a success for the unions.

The union of the shearer was founded in 1886 and in the following years about ten thousand shearers were unionized. The poor working conditions and low wages of shearers who were paid per sheep shorn, in the 19th century, were the trigger for a strike in Australia. Although the wool production one of the most important and prosperous industries of the early Australia was with good returns for sheep farmers, they wanted to enforce a wage reduction. The sheep farmers had besides the unionized shearers immigrants, Aboriginal and Chinese employed, working at much lower wages. The union, the Australian Shearers ' Union decided at a convention in 1890 in Bourke to protect their members that they should not cooperate with wage oppressors. For this reason, the union decided on the Jondaryan sheep breeding station in Darling Downs to stop work because there also non- unionists were employed as shearers. To enforce their demands, the union called on the longshoremen in Rockhampton, not to load the sheep wool sheep from this station. The dockworkers responded to this call. Then the sheep farmers responded with the creation of the Pastoralists ' Federal Council in order to fight back. As unionized shearers in Logan Downs sheep breeding station were asked to provide signatures to contracts with low wages, this was the immediate cause of the strike.

Strike

On January 5, 1891, the shearers called for the adoption of the following demands: recognition of the existing wage tariff, protection of existing rights and vested interests, immediate and honest agreements, and non-employment of paid under tariff Chinese shearers. They announced that they would go on strike until the fulfillment of their demands. The strike movement spread rapidly, and about 30 sheep- stations were on strike. There was a military intervention because the government ordered 1,000 soldiers from the protection of strike breakers. For example, 400 soldiers rode into the town of Clermont. The unionists set up fortified camps outside the cities Barcaldine at Lagoon Creek, Clermont and Hughenden, armed themselves, plundered the shearers shed, established pickets on, harassed the scabs and committed sabotage, but there were few examples of violence between strikers and strike-breakers. In mid-March were gathered in Barcaldine approximately 4,500 strikers. On March 28, 1891 numerous shearers were arrested in the towns near the camps and imprisoned in their respective places. A week later, police arrested in Barcaldine five leaders at the local union office, which had to march through an angry mob armed shearer. Among those arrested was the future Prime Minister of Queensland Thomas Joseph Ryan and other trade unionists like Michael Murphy, William Fothergill, Hugh Blackwell and William Bennett. Actively involved in the strike was John Robert Howe, who set the first world record in the sheep shearing in 1892, when he was shearing sheep 237 in one day.

On May 1, in 1891 one of the first May Day demonstrations in Australia with about 1,340 demonstrators in Barcaldine instead, which was escorted by 618 armed cavalry riders with fixed bayonets. In this demonstration demands for eight-hour day, for freedom, peace and friendship was loud. In addition to the banners with the inscription Australian Labor Federation, The Shearers and Carriers ' Unions and Young Australia, the Eureka Flag was carried on the demonstration, which is reminiscent of the miners' strike of Australia from 1854 in Ballarat, on the addition to an improvement in wages also political reforms that were demanded. In addition, there was at the demonstration international solidarity to other countries.

In order to break the strike, 12 union leaders were arrested, sentenced to three years in prison on May 20 for conspiracy and sedition and imprisoned in the notorious island prison of St. Helena in Brisbane at hard labor.

The weather during the strike was, unusually, extremely wet, in the camps food was scarce and the strike will waned since the time passed the Schafscherens. After that, the shearers were no longer needed. The strikers were after the long strike period of four months, their resistance not continue and gave the strikers on June 20 announced.

However, this strike is a historic event for Australia, because of the strike led by the strike involved establishing the Australian Labor Party. Thomas Joseph Ryan nominated in his later reign of the first eight leading members of the strike for his cabinet.

Strike culture

Henry Lawson wrote the song Freedom on the Wallaby during the strike. William Lane wrote after the strike the novel The workingman 's paradise. The Song of Banjo Paterson Waltzing Matilda was texted in 1895 and is about a shearer who prefer self drowns himself when his freedom by losing an arrest by the police. This song is to this day the national anthem.

Allegedly found in Barcaldine strike meeting in the shade of a tree instead, the Tree of Knowledge so-called. According to the latest historical research, although did not find any meetings held under the tree, but he is seen as a historical symbol and kept the place as a memorial. This tree was damaged in an act of political vandalism by herbicides in May 2006 and then died five months later from.

Second shearers ' strike

When the sheep farmers wanted to reduce wages by 20 to 17 shillings for 100 sheep again, it came on 17 June 1894 a second shearers ' strike, which led to a more severe confrontation with violence and arson. The strike ended on September 7, 1894 as the sheep farmers einlenkten.