Watersiders (‘wharfies’) have traditionally worked in close-knit teams, doing hard and often dangerous work, vital to the export economy. Their close bonds encouraged union activity, and wharfies have been prominent in all of New Zealand’s main industrial disputes. This banner, for the Wellington Waterside Workers’ Union, shows the dates of the three biggest disputes. The globe and linked hands symbolise solidarity with unions overseas.
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by Melanie Lovell-Smith
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