To mark 100 years since Queensland’s first general strike, a turning point in our state’s history, IEUA-QNT, together with the Queensland Council of Unions, is taking part in a rally to celebrate the significant event and honour those who fought for the right to be part of a union  in 1912.

IEUA-QNT general secretary Terry Burke said the dispute originated after workers were denied the right to wear badges representing their union membership to work.

“The members of the Australian Tramways Association who instigated the dispute fought to ensure their rights to be, and identify as a union member were protected,” Mr Burke said.

“Support for their dispute gathered speed quickly because other unionists saw the situation correctly, as a threat to the right to organise as a union.

“The dispute, that was relevant in 1912, is still very much relevant today, in 2012 with some employers still determined to vilify and harass those who are union members,” Mr Burke said.

In mid-January 1912 members of the Australian Tramways Association were sacked after wearing union badges to work. It was the result of numerous weeks of simmering conflict between the unionists and their employer.

That evening those members and their supporters, about 10,000 people altogether, rallied in King George Square, Brisbane.

The following day 25,000 people rallied.

The strike came to a peak on 2 February 1912, now known as Black Friday. It was a day of violent clashes between strikers, who had been denied a permit to march, and police.

Aged 72, Emma Miller, a well-known activist, led a contingent of women on Black Friday. When confronted by mounted police, she attacked the police commissioner, armed only with a hat pin. The commissioner’s horse bucked and he was thrown to the ground.

The strike officially ended two months later on 6 March 1912 when the Employers Federation agreed there would be no victimisation of strikers.

IEUA-QNT assistant secretary Paul Giles said the centenary was an incredibly important moment in our state’s history and one that unionists today could look back on with pride.

“We are proud to be able to take part in a rally that will honour our predecessors who fought for justice one hundred years ago,” Mr Giles said.

"The men and women who took to the streets in the 1912 strikes won rights that make up the foundations of the working rights we enjoy today,” he said.

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Event Information: Rally: 2 February 2012 – King George Square

                           Family Fun Day: 5 February 2012 – Ferny Grove

                           Lecture: Mid-February – Venue TBA