AnarWiki/markdown/Brisbane_General_Strike_(1912).md

The **Brisbane General Strike of 1912** was a [general
strike](List_of_General_Strikes "wikilink") in the city of Brisbane,
[Australia](Australia "wikilink") in [early
1912](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Oceania "wikilink").

The Brisbane tramways, located in Queensland, Australia, were owned by
General Electric Company, a private British company. Joseph Stillman
Badger, an American, was its manager. He refused to allow the formation
of any industrial union among the company employees. In other parts of
Australia, tramway employees in Melbourne and Adelaide faced similar
opposition and they were forbidden to wear any sign of membership of the
union. The higher authority claimed the wearing of badges by unionists
would intimidate the non-badge-wearers. After complaints, Melbourne
allowed the wearing of the badge, and Adelaide soon followed. Badger was
particularly against the idea of unions and refused to allow his
employees from forming any industrial unions. The issue of not only the
wearing of badges but also the right to join a union heightened in
Brisbane, for neither Badger nor the workers would give in.

On the 18th of January, 1912, a large crowd of sightseers appeared in
Queens Street. The tramway employees donned the union badges at an
appointed time. Badger addressed the wearers at the depot, and gave them
the choice of removing the badges or not working. Most who were
confronted chose the right to wear the badges. The company was left
short of trained staff.

That night, an estimated number of 10,000 people appeared in Market
Square (now King George Square) to hear speeches from Federal and State
Labour members and from the union leaders. Many other large gatherings
were held not only at the Square (not clear who held these meetings),
but also at various parts of South Brisbane and at Red Hill during the
following nights. The police were present at these gatherings, and they
were praised for their restraint. However, the praise soon disappeared
as reinforcements, especially mounted men, came from the country. The
Police Commissioner, Major W.G. Chill, only wanted to employ foot police
in the beginning, but found it difficult to clear the roads for traffic.
Inspector O’Sullivan persuaded Badger to allow the use mounted force.

On Monday the 22nd, there was a notice in the daily press calling for
the workers to report to work without badges, and those who did not show
up would be seen as to have vacated their positions. On the same day, J.
Moir, a unionist, requested a conference between Badger and the Tramway
Union. Badger refused saying he was willing to talk with the employees,
but not with unionists.

This rebuff from Badger drew attention from many other
organizations—delegates from waterside workers, railway guards,
carters, amalgamated engineers, railway employees , butchers, bakers,
certified engine drivers, seamen, coal workers, Australian Institute of
Marine Engineers, and the Australian Workers Association attended the
union meetings. They all agreed that the structure of unionism was being
attacked. The possibility of general strike rose to the surface. It had
already been discussed in the Worker (the monthly journal of the
Associated Workers of Queensland) serial of 1909, and of the general
discussion in the Worker of January 20, 1912. On Sunday, 28th of
January, another meeting was held at the Trades Hall where 43 unions
were represented. By 6:00 p.m., they decided to issue an ultimatum to
Badger and the company. This Combined Unions Committee (of the 43
unions) appointed a Strike Committee, with J. Harry, Coyne of M.L.A.
(Australian Labor Party) as its president, and J. Moir the secretary.

The next two days were spent on preparation. The unions organized to
meet the food requirements. They issued permits to businesses allowed to
carry on with restricted union labor. The committee sent requests for
financial and other assistance to unions in southern states. The
Employers’ Federation prepared to close shops. Hotels were also to be
shut down.

The government still fully supported the tramway company. Hence, on
Tuesday January 30th, 1912, the strike committee declared a general
strike. They declared that until the demands of the unionists were met,
the strike would continue peacefully. The Strike Committee decided to
issue full publicity of the view of the strikers through a daily
bulletin.

The Strike Committee became an alternative government within a few days.
Brisbane was practically at a standstill on the 31st. The trains didn’t
run, hotels were closed, and food shops were closing down rapidly. Only
the shops with special permits issued by the Committee were opened in
order to keep the Australian government running at the minimal margin,
and most transport system were shut down. By Saturday, a Citizen’s
Automobile Corps had been formed to assist governmental works. The
strike leaders sought to keep the strikers busy with daily speeches,
processions through city streets, sporting contests, and more speeches.
The strikers generally wore red ribbons to show solidarity. The strikers
formed a Vigilance Committee that recruited 500 Vigilance Officers in
order to keep order among the strikers. They also set up an ambulance
brigade. The government decided not to continue granting permits for
processions and to issue a proclamation prohibiting them.

The police commissioner Patrick Cahill refused to issue a permit for a
march on the 2nd of February by the Strike Committee. On Friday the 2nd,
an estimated crowd of 15,000 came to Market Square despite the lack of
march permit. The police and specials attacked the crowd. A large
contingent of foot and mounted police beat and arrested many protesters
including many elderly people, women, and children who were walking
peacefully. This event was initially called Baton Friday, but later came
to be known as Black Friday. It created bitterness and hatred towards
the police that would exist for several decades.

The Strike Committee faced supply and financial issues, especially lack
of food, as time went on, because they were not prepared enough.
Households struggled to hunt for stocks of food. On February 7th the
Council of the Employers’ Federation decided to challenge the Strike
Committee to take a secret ballot whether the strikers should return to
work. The workers were returning to work out of financial needs. After
the secret ballot, the workers wanted to return unconditionally.

The tramway employers were determined to break up the strike completely.
The strike officially ended when the Employers Federation, supporting
the strike, agreed on the 6 March 1912 that there would be no
victimization of strikers from Badger and the company. The combined
committee did not disband despite the end of the strike. The committee
felt that it was its responsibility to stay put until all the strikers
were back at work, but the committee then had trouble in trying get the
workers who had struck re-employed. The company dismissed the tramway
employees who had struck and refused to ever re-hire these workers. In
1922, the Queensland Government acquired the tram system, and reinstated
the workers. Until 1980, wearing of union badges on uniforms, the cause
of the strike, was forbidden.

This strike, not just for the wearing of the badges on uniforms but also
for the right to join a union, ended in a hasty and messy way. Some
factors that contributed to the failure include the lack of organization
in getting financial support, an overestimation of food supplies, the
lack of support from interstate unions, and a lack of a federated union.

Although the outcomes of the general strike do not seem very successful,
this was part of the greater Australian Labor Movement that lasted
throughout the late 1800s and the 1900s. This campaign showed the power
of combined unions that operated as an alternative governmental system
for several weeks, undermining the power of the conservative government.