Striking Ore

The Rise and Fall of Union Power in the Pilbara

Alexis Vassiley

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English

Monash University Publishing
01 April 2025

Mining industry; Industrial relations; Australian Society

In the 1970s, workers in Western Australia’s Pilbara iron ore mines went on strike more than the notorious coal miners. ‘We had industrial muscle and we used it,’ recounted one union delegate. Grassroots-led strikes often provoked the ire of union officials and politicians but dramatically improved workers’ lives. Yet this former bastion of militant unionism is today virtually un-unionised. An industry making super-profits is beset by insecure work, mental distress and sexual harassment.

How did this union power come about? What did it mean for the workers of the Pilbara and their communities? And how could it be so thoroughly destroyed? Based on archival research and interviews with participants, including rank-and-file union members, shop stewards and organisers, Striking Ore focuses on the workers themselves – including their agitating for hard-won breakthroughs in pay, conditions and safety – to answer these questions and assess the legacy of the unions’ defeat. It offers inspiration for unionists and activists and salient lessons for today’s trade union movement.

By: Alexis Vassiley
Imprint: Monash University Publishing
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781923192218
ISBN 10: 1923192213
Pages: 260
Publication Date: 01 April 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Alexis Vassiley is a labour historian and industrial relations scholar who has published on union strategy. He is a lecturer at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, and a research team member for the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety Centre an ECU industry collaboration centre for the mining sector. Alexis is an associate editor of Labour History and chief investigator on the funded project 'Learning from past union revivals: rebuilding trade unionism in early 20th century Australia'. He is also a recipient of the Eric Fry Labour History Scholarship.