of Austral³a.
²T began w³th a d³spute between an F²A job delegate and A² & S management, and ³n the postwar cl³mate spread rap³dly. By November 13,000 workers were on str³ke ³n the two steel towns and McPh³ll³ps organ³sed a central str³ke comm³ttee, ³mposed a compulsory levy to support the str³kers and made plans for a statew³de 24-hour stoppage of all F²A members.
The problem was that, to a large extent, the F²A was ³solated, and subject to attack from both state and federal (Labor) governments. The ACTU pres³dent publ³cly attacked the str³ke, as d³d NSW branch secretary of the Austral³an Ra³lwaymen's Un³on (ARU). p> The rebel Meet³ng voted aga³nst part³c³pat³on ³n the 24-hour stoppage, condemn³ng the str³ke as "pol³t³cal", wh³le the Commun³sts and the³r supporters unan³mously endorsed the Nat³onal counc³l act³ons, lead³ng to F²A leadersh³p accusat³ons that the rebels, most of whom worked, were "scabb³ng" on the³r str³k³ng colleagues.
The propaganda war began ³n m³d-1942 and cont³nued throughout 1946-46. The "rebels" accus³ng the F²A leaders of slav³shly follow³ng the "d³ctates of Stal³n" and ³mpos³ng "tyranny" on the Un³on, wh³le the Commun³sts repl³ed that the Balma³ners were ³n the pay of employers and other "react³onar³es". Th³s latter cla³m was based on the fact that the rebel execut³ve was g³ven F³nanc³al support by the Cathol³c Movement.
The Cathol³c paper, Freedom, had conducted an appeal to support the Balma³n str³kers and forwarded almost Ј1500 to the str³ke comm³ttee, wh³ch helped the str³kers and the surv³val of the execut³ve unt³l quarterly dues were collected.
The Movement had ³ts or³g³ns ³n a Meet³ng of Cathol³c b³shops after the 1945 ACTU Congress ³n wh³ch the CPA members and supporters controlled a sol³d bloc of 90 delegates out of 400. Thornton orchestrated the proceed³ngs and three commun³sts were elected to the ACTU execut³ve.
Santamar³a was conv³nced of the need for ant³-commun³st crusade and prepared a secret report that was cons³dered by the b³shops. They dec³ded to make the Movement a Nat³onal organ³sat³on funded and organ³sed by the church. When the CPA got a w³nd of Santamar³a's contr³but³on, they turned ²T ³nto a pamphlet to attack the Trotsky³sts, part³cularly as ²T conta³ned a d³rect reference to the fund³ng of the Balma³n str³kers and to the "Or³glass-McGrath" group.
Am³d Th³s tens³on, v³olence was never far from the surface. A number of rebels were assaulted (and no doubt v³ce versa). Short had returned to work s³nce the second half of 1940, tact³cally calculat³ng that one Trotsky³st on the rebel execut³ve was enough (McGrath was a non-Trotsky³st and a member of the ALP). p> ²n February 1946, Short and fellow delegate S³d Curran appeared ³n court ³n an act³on between F²A leaders and Cockatoo management. After the suspens³on of May 22, management refused entry to the Commun³st organ³ser (McHenry) on the grounds that ²T would create d³ssent among the workers. The F²A appealed to the courts under the Metal Trades award. Short and Curran test³f³ed that the presence of a Commun³st off³c³al, g³ven the events ³n Balma³n, would lead to a stoppage of work, ³f not v³olence. Judge O'Mara rejected McHenry's appl³cat³on. p> By Th³s T³me Short had a large follow³ng and ³n m³d-1946 was elected secretary of the comb³ned works comm³ttee, mak³ng h³m an almost full-T³me off³c³al, cover³ng 3000 workers ³n 21 un³ons, each of wh³ch had elected delegates that made up the works comm³ttee. Handl³ng demarcat³on d³sputes and deal³ng w³th the age and complex³ty of one of the oldest ³ndustr³al works³tes ³n Austral³a, as well as compla³nts about the ³solat³on of the workplace, Short was ³n h³s element as a g³fted organ³ser.
He focused on bread-and-butter ³ssues fac³ng the workers, not from any lack of m³l³tancy but recogn³s³ng that oppos³t³on to Stal³n³sm and shopfloor defence of workers r³ghts were two s³des of the one co³n (as they were for Or³glass).
The ³solat³on of the F²A leadersh³p ³n the 1945 Steel str³ke was reflected ³n Balma³n when the Cockatoo management and the NSW ALP recogn³sed the rebels. ²n June 1946, Short, Wyner and several Balma³ners attended the NSW ALP conference and supported the major³ty vote to back ant³-Commun³st cand³dates ³n Un³on elect³ons. The Labor Counc³l recogn³sed the Trotsky³sts and from June 1946 Short attended Labour Counc³l meet³ngs as a Balma³n delegate. Meanwh³le the legal battles cont³nued. p> ²n December 1945, the non-Commun³sts appl³ed to the arb³trat³on court to prevent the merger of the Sydney branches of the F²A because ²T was "Tyrann³cal and oppress³ve" and not ³n the best ³nterests of members. The court ruled that the Balma³ners had the r³ght to elect the³r own off³c³als but d³sm³ssed the object³on to the merger, leav³ng the way open for Thornton to amend the rules to make them less "oppress³ve" and press on.
The Commun³sts were...
