Maritime Union of Australia alleges crews on Carnival Cruise ships are exploited and earn a fraction of minimum wage

This month in labour history

2-01-1879 Sacked Austrialian seamen return to work after a six week strike, with the promise of re-employment over the next two years. [more]

3-01-1974 Forty four Victoria Street squatters, including BLF activist Joe Owens, are arrested as property developers try to clear the area for the construction of three skyscrapers. [more]

11-01-1951 270 women members of electrical and metal trades unions walked off the job at 3 Sydney factories demanding that they continue to receive 90% of men’s wages, as they had during and since wartime, rather than the 75% imposed by employers. [more]

14-01-1929 600 union dock workers rushed the scab-filled Mareeba steamship in Port Adelaide. Scabs and police fought the workers, who retaliated with stones, injuring 30 scabs. One scab began shooting into the crowd but was not arrested. [more]

18-01-1929 800 women - mostly the wives of striking Port Adelaide workers - began a march in support of their husbands. The women, many with their children marched to the port to confront scabs, and fought back when attacked by police. [more]

24-01-1951 After leading the 3rd strike by Aboriginal workers for fair pay and civil rights, Lawrence Wurrpen arrested and sentenced to four months in jail. On his release under appeal, he was directed to stay within Bagot Compound Reserve in Darwin. [more]

31-01-1912 A general strike begins in Brisbane in support of thousands of tramworkers sacked for wearing union badges. [more]