100th Anniversary of the 1917 Great Strike: Civil Disobedience and Unity

Stonemason’s Banner Celebrating the 8 Hour Day Victory (depicting the AGNSW, left, and the Sydney Uni edifice, right), courtesy Sydney Trades Hall.

2017 is the 100th anniversary of the Great Strike. Are you looking forward to the next public holiday coming up? Do you know why we celebrate a Labour Day public holiday? Arts Monday’s Jane Raffan takes us on a potted history of Australia’s union movement 1850-1950 with Neale Towart, Heritage Officer for Sydney Trades Hall and Research Librarian for Unions NSW.

Jane and Neale discuss the cache of union banners cared for by Trades Hall and their place in the history of the union movement in Australia. That history won us the 8 hr day, the 40 hr week, holiday leave, long service leave and equal pay. And much more.

Join Jane and Neale for a look at some of the achievements of various unions leading up to the Cold War period and the symbolism in the banners, which have a long history themselves, and which were the subject of an exhibition and publication by Sydney’s Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (now the Powerhouse Museum) in 1985, Badges of Honour, Banners of Pride.

Interview I

Interview II

Program blog: A program looking at Unity and Civil Disobedience: Workers’ Rights and Union Banners