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. 

Laurie Carmichael and the union’s internal computerization, by Jock Blair

Laurie Carmichael knew the need for a union to have not only a strong industrial knowledge and action, but strong secure administration was just as important.

Laurie knew that the most important thing for a union was its membership. You must at all times treat your members with respect and make certain to bring them along with you even the ones that don’t fully agree with your tactics.

While in the administration he made sure to keep the members information safe and secure.

To do this Laurie Carmichael insisted the AMWU use the best available technology even if it came from non-union companies like IBM, if it achieved the best outcome for the membership.

The AMWU long before people talked about cloud computing, was using a very early version of what would become cloud computing.

Laurie Carmichael by choosing the people to work with, like Jack Brown, Judith McNolty, Anthony Quinn and Berna Buchanan, built a team that worked together with one ambition to keep the union members and financial information accurate and safe.

AMWU computer systems driven by Laurie were used for research IBM system 3 and then IBM system 38 coupled with Data stations IBM 3740 for membership. Each state office except for Tasmania had a data station which recorded member transactions on to 8” floppy disc these discs would be placed in an aluminium box and sent overnight to the national office for processing by the system 38, discs then be returned to the state.

Because telex machines were used (no faxes in those days) a system was developed where states could send a telex with member number and the members up to date details would be sent back to the state office.

Laurie Carmichael insisted that no state could transfer a member to another state, it was the receiving states that must request the member be transferred, as often members would say they were moving to a state and then either not turn up or arrive in a different state having found a job elsewhere.

In the early 1980’s Laurie Carmichael was instrumental in computerising the AMWU finance systems starting with each state having IBM PC with a tape drive attached for back-ups and to transfer the data to the national finance department. When it became obvious that this system was not secure enough Laurie Carmichael moved the national finance to a system S/36 and each state received smaller IBM S/36’s with data updated weekly by 8”disc’s from the states and later overnight via data line communications. This meant the states no longer need the data stations, and so in the states all office functions were transferred to the systems S/36’s including word processing.