The Great Strike of 1917
1917 saw widespread industrial unrest, beginning in Sydney and spreading across NSW, culminating in a General Strike.
The initial trigger for the strike was the introduction of a new labour costing system by the New South Wales Department of Railways and Tramways which led to workers walking off the job at Randwick Workshops and Eveleigh Carriage Works in August 1917. Discontent spread to other industries as wages had not kept pace with increasing prices during the First World War.
On the 3 September 1917, some 600 AGL (Australian Gas Light Company) workers at Mortlake went on strike. To keep vital gas services operating, positions at the gas works were filled by volunteers, referred to as ‘Loyalists’ by some and less pleasant names by others. The photograph, above, shows the tents of volunteers at AGL, from ‘Everyday scenes at Mortlake Gas Works’ published in the Sydney Mail.
The Gas Workers returned to work on 17 September 1917.
Posted on September 5, 2017, in Mortlake and tagged 1917 General Strike, AGL, Australian Gas Light Company, Canada bay Connections, City of Canada Bay, Great Strike 1917, Mortlake. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Canada Bay Connections 
Additional trouble occurred when ‘owing to insulting behaviour by loyalists camped at Mortlake Gas Works’ to one of the sanitary workers, Council staff declined to provide sanitary services to AGL at Mortlake. As one Alderman quipped ‘have they declared the pans black?’
(from an unidentified clipping, held in Local Studies)