Jock Blair was a senior shop steward in the Pilbara and, because of his study of computerization in the 1970’s was recruited by Laurie Carmichael to help build the union’s own computerization of its office administration and, later its word processing capacity.

Carmichael was an avid student of developments in technology and computerization. He applied what he learned to union policies and strategy for union members to gain as much control as possible in their workplaces. He also argued, successfully, for the union to be in the forefront of applying the technology for the benefit of the members in its own operations.

Jock Blair mentions the team that implemented the decisions made at the National Council of the union that Carmichael had proposed or argued for. 

Pictured: former Labor resources and energy minister Martin Ferguson, Laurie Carmichael, centre, and former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty.

This is a comprehensive and heartfelt memoir of Laurie Carmichael driven by about 25 years of close quarters union leadership and friendship.

In this short memoir Tony Evans reflects on Laurie Carmichael and Jim Baird. Baird and Carmichael worked closely and with other officials of the union to develop the research and bargaining strategy that would be presented to members. The research usually included information collected from shop steward meetings and surveys.

CLICK HERE

Tony Evans is a veteran union activist, now retired, and a South Australian. Tony was (is) a multi-union and multi-industry union "mindful militant". Laurie Carmichael pushed him into union roles that involved "active research". He wanted to and was required to work with union delegates and members to produce information that could be used in consultations and confrontations with governments and employers about jobs in the manufacturing industry.

By Andrew Dettmer, National President of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

CLICK HERE

Introduction – Don Sutherland

Val Carmichael arrested and carried dragged along the street

Laurie’s son, Laurie Jr, was active as a draft resister. When, along with others, he was required to appear in court, a demonstration outside grew angry leading to the violent arrest of first, his mother, and then his father.

Tony Duras elaborates on the events, and the aftermath:

“The links between draft resisters and unions in Melbourne were strengthened by the case of Laurie Carmichael Jr, the son of the State Secretary of the AEU. When the younger Carmichael appeared at Williamstown Court to answer charges relating to his refusal to report for a medical examination, he was whisked away by supporters. Angry scenes erupted and Laurie Carmichael and his wife Val as well as twelve other people were arrested. In protest against the "brutal treatment" the police meted out to demonstrator, especially Val Carmichael, who was knocked over and dragged along the ground by her feet, the Rebel Unions issued a statement that:

we recommend to Unions that a campaign of lunchtime and stopwork meetings be held and that contact be made with sister organisations in other states, finally aimed at National action on the part of the worker.

A week later, when the Carmichaels appeared at Williamstown Court, unionists held meetings and demonstrated outside the court.

According to Ken Carr, "...at the Williamstown Naval Dockyard the blokes just dropped their tools and marched towards the court." Approximately five hundred workers from the dockyard and seven hundred meatworkers from Newport stopped work to attend the demonstration.

Moreover: after the Carmichael case, Union leaders like George Crawford (Plumbers Union), Ray Hogan (Miscellaneous Workers Union) and Roger Wilson (Seamen's Union) were readily available to meet with draft resisters and student activists at short notice. Unions continued to assist in organising factory meetings and addressing shop steward seminars.

It is difficult to gauge the effect of the Carmichael trial on individual unionists but it almost certainly influenced the declaration of two to three hundred union officials from the Rebel Unions in Victoria:

We encourage those young men already conscripted to refuse to accept orders against their conscience and those in Vietnam to lay down their arms in mutiny against the heinous barbarism perpetuated in our name upon the innocent, aged, men, women and children.

In August 1971, ten union officials were charged with violating the National Service Act because they were handing out leaflets which encouraged young men to refuse to register for National Service. They were among a group of thirty union organisers and officials from a variety of unions who were handing out anti-registration leaflets outside the offices of the Department of Labor and National Service in Melbourne. In their court statement the unionists, who were found guilty and fined between $20 and $50 each, declared that:

As Trade Union Officials, representing many thousands of organized workers, we firmly believe that the continued conscription of young Australians to be sent to Vietnam to kill or be killed is a criminal act. We therefore, as a matter of conscience with 30 other like-minded Trade Union Officials deliberately handed out leaflets in Flinders Street outside the Department of Labor and National Service.

To read the whole story CLICK HERE. ( http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/interventions/workers.htm )

Also, Laurie Carmichael Jr reflects on this:  CLICK HERE.

For more from Laurie Carmichael on union building at the Williamstown Naval Dockyard: CLICK HERE.

Personal Solidarity, Carmichael and Japan

Introduction - Don Sutherland

Laurie Carmichael developed strong relationships between Japanese and Australian metal unions.

Here Kaye Hargreaves describes meeting Laurie Carmichael in the offices of the Japanese Metal Workers when both were visiting the union for unrelated reasons. We see Carmichael’s genuine personal solidarity making a difference for a young Australian intellectual navigating the Japanese unions.

Kaye Hargreaves Remembers Laurie Carmichael (https://kayehargreaves1.wordpress.com/japan/metalworkers/ )

“… this is my good friend Kaye, who has been doing wonderful work with our union in Australia. She is here in Japan doing research into women workers, and I hope you will give her every assistance.”

Among many other things, Kaye Hargreaves was the author of the widely read Women at Work. Click here for more on her valuable book.

Laurie Carmichael Jr describes Laurie's rich personal life