Radical rank-and-file workers committees and assemblies in three Australian and one Italian trade union from 1960-1980

The labour movement has suffered from defeat and stagnation during the last 50 years. Labour movements today are significantly weaker than during the Keynesian period before the 1970s. The Keynesian period was one of relatively full employment, higher wages and a degree of planned economic development through government policy. It is essential for the modern union movement to examine the reasons for this decline in order to reinvigorate this movement in the present crisis. This project will examine the records of shop/job committees and mass meetings to demonstrate the importance of this phenomenon. This will be done by examining three unions in Australia and one comparable international union case study for comparative purposes, and also, to examine the differences and similarities between their different conditions and methods of organisation. This thesis intends to study the degree of democracy, militancy and radicalism in the union movement during the 1960s and 1970s. It is focused on the period of 1960-1980. In Australia, the focus will be on the Amalgamated Engineering Union/Amalgamated Metal Workers Union, the Builders Labourers Federation and the various state based Australian teachers’ unions. Internationally, the focus will be on Italy and the Federazione Impiegati Operai Metallurgici (FIOM) as well as the Italian new left movements in the metal factories.

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