Story: Strikes and labour disputes

Breakaway union, Waihī, 1912

Breakaway union, Waihī, 1912

Loyally posed in front of the British flag, the Ōhinemuri Engine Drivers' Union and Firemen's Industrial Union of Workers signals its discontent with the radical, anti-imperialist Federation of Labour. Most of the 1,200 workers at the huge Waihī gold mine were members of the Waihi Workers Union, which was affiliated to the Federation. In 1912 the small group of engine drivers and firemen in this photo broke away and formed their own union, registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The Waihi Workers Union went on strike in protest at working with the breakaway union.

Using this item

Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
Reference: PC 4, 1912/21
Photograph by John Carless

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Strikes and labour disputes - The 1912 and 1913 strikes', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/20482/breakaway-union-waihi-1912 (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 11 Mar 2010, updated 1 Mar 2016