Shop Committees in the New South Wales Railways

Abstract

As early as 1934 the shop committees in the New South Wales railways were beginning to acquire the characteristics of a cohesive industrial force. An important factor in their development up to this time was the disastrous effect for Labor of the general strike in 1917 in the railways. The shop com mittees did not seek to replace the existing structures of trade unionism but to coexist with them. At the same time the authority and influertce of the movement depended in part on maintaining a measure of independence from the union hierarchy. This led to an uneasy relationship between the shop committees and some trade unions which climaxed with the expulsion of the Central Council of Railway Shop Committees from "observer" status represen tation at meetings of the Sydney Trades and Labour Council.