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Striking Ore: The Rise and Fall of Union Power in the Pilbara
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Pilbara iron ore industry was a bastion of militant unionism – ‘union power’. Today, it is almost completely un-unionised.
Labour historian and industrial relations scholar Alexis Vassiley charts the rise and fall of this union power over the decades. He explores the hard-won breakthroughs workers made in pay, conditions and safety, and analyses the conflict between rank-and-file unionists and trade union officials that drove tension between the two groups. He examines how the strength of the unions was undone, delving into the Robe River dispute, and looks at the consequences of the loss of unionism today, including mental health issues and sexual harassment.
Based on archival research and interviews with participants, including rank-and-file union members, shop stewards and organisers, Striking Ore centres the actions of workers themselves to answer the questions of how this union power came about, what it meant for the workers and their communities, how it was destroyed and what is the legacy of the unions’ defeat.
Labour historian and industrial relations scholar Alexis Vassiley charts the rise and fall of this union power over the decades. He explores the hard-won breakthroughs workers made in pay, conditions and safety, and analyses the conflict between rank-and-file unionists and trade union officials that drove tension between the two groups. He examines how the strength of the unions was undone, delving into the Robe River dispute, and looks at the consequences of the loss of unionism today, including mental health issues and sexual harassment.
Based on archival research and interviews with participants, including rank-and-file union members, shop stewards and organisers, Striking Ore centres the actions of workers themselves to answer the questions of how this union power came about, what it meant for the workers and their communities, how it was destroyed and what is the legacy of the unions’ defeat.
- GenresAustralia
Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 18, 2025
A clear and inspiring history of union militancy in the Pilbara. Alexis uncovers the working-class (human!) story at the centre of WA's resources industry. This (sadly brief) period when workers were organised, confident, and ready to use their power should inspire us all. The resilience, resourcefulness and (most of all) class-conscious struggle of workers against their bosses offers so many lessons.
The book's unapologetically working-class perspective lets it point fingers at ALL the responsible parties. Not just mining bosses, but the WA & Australian government (Liberal AND Labor) and the trade union bureaucracy. This is no Labor hagiography!
The later third of the book, today's Pilbara, is heartbreaking. It cuts hard against the anti-worker hysteria of the "cashed-up-bogan" and the idea that mining companies offer "low-skill" workers great opportunities. Conditions for Pilbara workers today, dictated entirely by the bosses, are horrific.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants a better, fairer world.
The book's unapologetically working-class perspective lets it point fingers at ALL the responsible parties. Not just mining bosses, but the WA & Australian government (Liberal AND Labor) and the trade union bureaucracy. This is no Labor hagiography!
The later third of the book, today's Pilbara, is heartbreaking. It cuts hard against the anti-worker hysteria of the "cashed-up-bogan" and the idea that mining companies offer "low-skill" workers great opportunities. Conditions for Pilbara workers today, dictated entirely by the bosses, are horrific.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants a better, fairer world.
December 2, 2025
“our guy got up, Charlie [Mitchell, an AWU official ... and starts carrying on as though he's apologising ... [saying] Well, they've got eight ships out on the harbour. ... I grabbed the fucking microphone; I said,
'Charlie, are you working for us or working for Hamersley fing Iron? ... We don't care if there's 80 ships in, the more the merrier. Your job is to negotiate on our behalf.’
Well, I got a standing ovation [laughing] ... After the meeting, Charlie came up and got a hold of me, he said, What was that all about? I said, 'Oh, well, sometimes you've got to be given a bit of a prod, Charlie.’”
Striking ore looks at the rise and fall of unionism in the Pilbara, as a case study that mirrors broader trends in Australian unionism as a whole from the 70s to the present day.
The rank and file networks built in the Pilbara in the 70s and 80s are truly remarkable and a joy to read about. The majority of all union work was done by the rank and file organised in shop committees. Shop stewards collected dues, called meetings, recruited to the union and most significantly, 85% of disputes in the 70s were initiated by the rank and file.
The fatal weakness of the union militants was their lack of politics. Militancy and suspicion of the union officials did not translate into serious politicisation. This wasn’t a problem in the 70s when profitability was high and officials were content to stay out of the way. However, militants did not have the political framework to counter the union officials and the labor government in the accord years. Some militants were even convinced by the arguments that workers had a responsibility to maintain the productivity of the private sector. This intervention by the union officials meant an abrupt turn away from strikes towards arbitration, with the militants excluded from decision making. When the companies began to attack their workforces and cut the unions out of the picture all together, union officials restricted the rank and file from taking serious action in opposition. This lead to the decimation of unionism in the Pilbara.
Before the unionisation push, workers were regularly sacked for refusing to do unsafe work. Today, things are even worse. Majority of work in the Pilbara is now FIFO, a deliberate company tactic to undermine any sense of collectivism in the workforce. FIFO workers regularly commit suicide due to the stress of their situation, and deaths by unsafe working practices are also common.
It’s a pretty depressing place to end but it shows the urgent need to rebuild unionism in Australia, and for the need for left wing politics.
'Charlie, are you working for us or working for Hamersley fing Iron? ... We don't care if there's 80 ships in, the more the merrier. Your job is to negotiate on our behalf.’
Well, I got a standing ovation [laughing] ... After the meeting, Charlie came up and got a hold of me, he said, What was that all about? I said, 'Oh, well, sometimes you've got to be given a bit of a prod, Charlie.’”
Striking ore looks at the rise and fall of unionism in the Pilbara, as a case study that mirrors broader trends in Australian unionism as a whole from the 70s to the present day.
The rank and file networks built in the Pilbara in the 70s and 80s are truly remarkable and a joy to read about. The majority of all union work was done by the rank and file organised in shop committees. Shop stewards collected dues, called meetings, recruited to the union and most significantly, 85% of disputes in the 70s were initiated by the rank and file.
The fatal weakness of the union militants was their lack of politics. Militancy and suspicion of the union officials did not translate into serious politicisation. This wasn’t a problem in the 70s when profitability was high and officials were content to stay out of the way. However, militants did not have the political framework to counter the union officials and the labor government in the accord years. Some militants were even convinced by the arguments that workers had a responsibility to maintain the productivity of the private sector. This intervention by the union officials meant an abrupt turn away from strikes towards arbitration, with the militants excluded from decision making. When the companies began to attack their workforces and cut the unions out of the picture all together, union officials restricted the rank and file from taking serious action in opposition. This lead to the decimation of unionism in the Pilbara.
Before the unionisation push, workers were regularly sacked for refusing to do unsafe work. Today, things are even worse. Majority of work in the Pilbara is now FIFO, a deliberate company tactic to undermine any sense of collectivism in the workforce. FIFO workers regularly commit suicide due to the stress of their situation, and deaths by unsafe working practices are also common.
It’s a pretty depressing place to end but it shows the urgent need to rebuild unionism in Australia, and for the need for left wing politics.
April 25, 2025
must read for all socialists and unionists. some amazing stories in here about the history of grassroots unionism in the pilbara that is little talked about and provides us with important lessons for rebuilding the union movement and workers rights today
June 9, 2025
mandatory reading if you're a union bestie
March 29, 2025
Striking Ore draws on painstakingly thorough research to paint an in-depth picture of the power that unions once had, to galvanise readers and leave us believing by the time we put the book down that a return to this kind of power is indeed possible. The research that the book draws upon goes into a great amount of detail, and as a result the anecdotes we get from those at the heart of these events are absolute gold! (not coal)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews