Abstract
The reaction of the Australian trade union movement to the new phases of immigration in the post-World War II period is examined. The responses were by no means uniform in reflecting political, industrial and craft divisions amongst unions and changes in employment conditions. Attention will focus on central trade union bodies, principally the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Labor Council of New South Wales. Some mention will also be made of the situation in particular unions and attempts by migrant workers to organise and act independently of established unions. The con clusion is that the trade unions' attitude to migrants should be related to the concurrent industrial problems, trade union tradition and the constraints of the compulsory arbitration system.
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