Deschutes Public Library

The Great Strike 1917

eng

videorecording

The Great Strike 1917

Originally produced by Ronin Films in 2018

68

To this day, THE GREAT STRIKE OF 1917 is still Australia's largest industrial upheaval. The story of the Strike has long been dormant in archives, and is now re-told with original film footage from the era. The documentary examines the industrial, social and political context of a struggle that had lasting consequences for the labour movement in Australia. Personal stories and legacies filtered through generations of families for years to come, reflecting on the fight for decent conditions and fair treatment in the workplace, still strongly resonate today. In 1917 in Sydney, thousands had joined protest marches through the streets, the government recruited volunteers to break the strike, issuing some of them with guns; unions were deregistered and union leaders charged with conspiracy. It was a time of violent emotions, state violence and individual acts of violence by and against strikers. A striker, Mervyn Flanagan, was shot and killed. With the introduction of a new 'timecard' system, known as Scientific Management or Taylorism, originating from the United States, transport workers stopped work, triggering the strike

live action