Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen (i) - Trade Union entry - Australian Trade Union Archives (original) (raw)

From

1921

To

1926

Functions

Trade Union (Federal)

Reference No

138V

Summary

Forerunners of the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen [AFULE] were state Locomotive Enginemen's Associations of which the Victorian Locomotive Engine Drivers' Association was the first (formed in 1861) and only continuous union. Attempts to form a South Australian Enginemen's association failed in 1876 and 1880 due to conflict between drivers and firemen, but finally succeeded in 1886. In New South Wales it seems that an association was formed as early as 1871. By 1881 there were two bodies, one in Sydney and one in Goulburn, but both became dormant in that year.

The idea of amalgamating Locomotive Enginemens' Associations from all states was suggested at a Victorian Conference in 1886. Federation did not come to fruition until 1899-1900 when the Locomotive Engine Drivers' & Firemens' Association from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland met to form the Federated Railway Locomotive Enginemen's Association of Australasia. This body met yearly at Conference, but did not set up a Federal Division until 1920. In that year a decision of the High Court made it possible for unions covering employees in state instrumentalities to have access to the Federal Arbitration Court. In February 1921, the newly named Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen was the first such union to gain federal registration with the Court.

In 1922-1923, following Federal registration, successful steps were taken for the AFULE to gain coverage of Locomotive Enginemen working for Commonwealth railways, and the Union became truly Australia wide.

In 1924, the AFULE decided to file a separate log of claims on each of the state employers, but the decision of the Australian Railways Union to try to establish one federal award for all railwaymen precipitated the Locomotive Enginemen into a similar case before the Federal Arbitration Court. The AFULE presented a mass of detailed evidence resulting by April 1925 in its first Federal Award binding on State instrumentalities and bringing its four Union Divisions into line industrially.

By 1926 the union had changed its name to the Australian Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, only to change it back to the Australian Federated Union of Enginemen in 1927. After 1970, membership swelled as a result of the inclusion of members from the deregistered Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen, Commonwealth Division. In 1993 the AFULE merged with the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association, the National Union of Rail Workers of Australia and the Australian Railways Union to form the Australian Rail Tram & Bus Industry Union.

Archival resources

The Noel Butlin Archives Centre, ANU Archives Program

State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection

The University of Melbourne Archives

Published resources

Edited Books

Journal Articles

Online Resources

Bruce A. Smith

Created: 20 April 2001, Last modified: 12 December 2002