Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union
Encyclopedia
The Australian Rail Tram & Bus Industry Union (RTBU), formerly known as the Public Transport Union or PTU, was formed on 1 March 1993, through the amalgamation of the Australian Railways Union, the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen, the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association and the National Union of Rail Workers' of Australia. This amalgamation effectively created one transport industry union for the first time in Australia
. The union is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions
(ACTU) and the Australian Labor Party
(ALP). Internationally, the RTBU is affiliated with the International Transport Workers' Federation
.
It is organised into National Divisions, covering Infrastructure; Rail Operations; Tram and Bus; Locomotive; Workshops and Salaried and Professional. There are six state branches, with the National Office located in Sydney
.
helped found the Australian Tramway Employees’ Association in 1910 and served as its president for a number of years. Another prominent member was Lionel Hill
, who was Secretary of the South Australia
state branch from 1910 to 1924 and the union federal President from 1912 to 1924. He was elected as the Labor member for East Torrens to the South Australian House of Assembly
in 1915, became Premier
in 1926 and for a second term from the 1930 state election.
initiated a general strike
, known as the 1912 Brisbane General Strike
, which lasted for five weeks.
, the Victorian State Secretary of the union, was jailed by John Kerr for contempt of the Industrial Court after he disobeyed a court order that his union pay $8,100 in fines, under the penal sections of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. This triggered the biggest postwar national strike organised by unions when 1 million workers stopped work over six days of national strikes to demand "Free Clarrie and repeal the penal powers". On the sixth day, O'Shea was released when the fines were paid by a man who claimed to have won the New South Wales lottery.
The Federated Railway Locomotive Enginemens' Association of Australia met yearly at Conference, but did not set up a Federal Division until 1920. In that year a decision of the High Court made it possible for unions covering employees in state instrumentalities to have access to the Federal Arbitration Court. In February 1921, the newly named Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen [AFULE] was the first such union to gain federal registration with the Court.
In 1922-1923, following Federal registration, successful steps were taken for the AFULE to gain coverage of Locomotive Enginemen working for Commonwealth railways, and the Union became truly Australia wide.
In 1924, the AFULE decided to file a separate log of claims on each of the state employers, but the decision of the Australian Railways Union to try to establish one federal award for all railwaymen precipitated the Locomotive Enginemen into a similar case before the Federal Arbitration Court. The AFULE presented a mass of detailed evidence resulting by April 1925 in its first Federal Award binding on State instrumentalities and bringing its four Union Divisions into line industrially.
By 1926 the union changed its name to the Australian Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, only to change it back to the Australian Federated Union of Enginemen in 1927. After 1970, membership swelled as a result of the inclusion of members from the deregistered Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen, Commonwealth Division.
The Queensland division of AFULE voted initially to amalgamate then subsequently not to merge with the RTBU. It still operates as a separate union, registered in both the Qld and Federal industrial systems. Following a court decision the AFULEQ was federally registered but restricted to operating in Queensland after agreeing to amend its previously broad ranging application.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The union is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
(ACTU) and the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP). Internationally, the RTBU is affiliated with the International Transport Workers' Federation
International Transport Workers' Federation
The International Transport Workers' Federation is a global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2009 the ITF had 654 member organizations in 148 countries, representing a combined membership of 4.5 million workers....
.
Structure
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Tramways Union
Frank AnsteyFrank Anstey
Frank Anstey , Australian politician, served 38 years as a Labor member of the Victorian and Commonwealth parliaments....
helped found the Australian Tramway Employees’ Association in 1910 and served as its president for a number of years. Another prominent member was Lionel Hill
Lionel Hill
Lionel Laughton Hill was the thirtieth Premier of South Australia.Born in Adelaide, South Australia but raised on a farm near Maitland, Hill left school aged 12 to work on the South Australian government railways, where he first became involved in the labour movement...
, who was Secretary of the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
state branch from 1910 to 1924 and the union federal President from 1912 to 1924. He was elected as the Labor member for East Torrens to the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
in 1915, became Premier
Premiers of South Australia
Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from 1893 to 1905 with Labor support, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of...
in 1926 and for a second term from the 1930 state election.
Brisbane General Strike
On 18 January 1912 members who worked on the Brisbane tramways were stood down for wearing union badges. The dispute escalated to the general issue of the right to join a union and the Brisbane trades and labour councilQueensland Council of Unions
The Queensland Council of Unions is a representative body of Trade union organisations, known as a Labour council, in the State of Queensland, Australia...
initiated a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
, known as the 1912 Brisbane General Strike
1912 Brisbane General Strike
The 1912 Brisbane General Strike in Queensland, Australia, began when members of the Australian Tramway Employees Association were dismissed when they wore union badges to work on 18 January 1912...
, which lasted for five weeks.
Deregistration
The union became the Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees’ Association [AT&MOEA] in 1934. When this union was deregistered in 1950 over the one man tram dispute in Melbourne, its members created, within the same year, a new union of the same name.Clarrie O'Shea
On 15 May 1969 Clarrie O'SheaClarrie O'Shea
Clarence Lyell O'Shea, more commonly known as Clarrie O'Shea , was the Victorian State Secretary of the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association who was jailed in 1969 by Sir John Kerr for contempt of the Industrial Court when he disobeyed a court order that his union pay $8,100 in...
, the Victorian State Secretary of the union, was jailed by John Kerr for contempt of the Industrial Court after he disobeyed a court order that his union pay $8,100 in fines, under the penal sections of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. This triggered the biggest postwar national strike organised by unions when 1 million workers stopped work over six days of national strikes to demand "Free Clarrie and repeal the penal powers". On the sixth day, O'Shea was released when the fines were paid by a man who claimed to have won the New South Wales lottery.
Australian Railways Union
In Victoria, railway labourers formed the Mutual Services Association [MSA] in 1884 and looked to incorporate the various trades and crafts within the industry in a single powerful railway union, but remained largely unsuccessful in this attempt. The MSA retained a high rate of membership throughout the 1890s, and in 1900 changed its name to the Amalgamated Society of Railway Employees [ASRE]. In 1911 the ASRE and cognate organisations voted overwhelmingly to form a united Victorian Railways Union, which, in 1921 became the Victorian Branch of the Australian Railways Union [ARU].Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen
In 1861, seven years after the official opening of Victoria's first railway, the Locomotive Engine Drivers' Association was formed in an attempt to maintain some standards of employment for these skilled workers. Comprising roughly twenty members, the Association grew to include firemen in 1872, prompting a change of name to the Locomotive Engine Drivers & Firemens' Association. In October 1899 representatives of the Railway Locomotive Enginemen's Associations of New South Wales, South Australia Queensland and Victoria met in Melbourne and voted in favour of forming the Federated Railway Locomotive Enginemens' Association of Australia.The Federated Railway Locomotive Enginemens' Association of Australia met yearly at Conference, but did not set up a Federal Division until 1920. In that year a decision of the High Court made it possible for unions covering employees in state instrumentalities to have access to the Federal Arbitration Court. In February 1921, the newly named Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen [AFULE] was the first such union to gain federal registration with the Court.
In 1922-1923, following Federal registration, successful steps were taken for the AFULE to gain coverage of Locomotive Enginemen working for Commonwealth railways, and the Union became truly Australia wide.
In 1924, the AFULE decided to file a separate log of claims on each of the state employers, but the decision of the Australian Railways Union to try to establish one federal award for all railwaymen precipitated the Locomotive Enginemen into a similar case before the Federal Arbitration Court. The AFULE presented a mass of detailed evidence resulting by April 1925 in its first Federal Award binding on State instrumentalities and bringing its four Union Divisions into line industrially.
By 1926 the union changed its name to the Australian Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, only to change it back to the Australian Federated Union of Enginemen in 1927. After 1970, membership swelled as a result of the inclusion of members from the deregistered Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen, Commonwealth Division.
The Queensland division of AFULE voted initially to amalgamate then subsequently not to merge with the RTBU. It still operates as a separate union, registered in both the Qld and Federal industrial systems. Following a court decision the AFULEQ was federally registered but restricted to operating in Queensland after agreeing to amend its previously broad ranging application.