The New Citizens Council: A 1950's Migrant Trade Union
Magazine
Article Title | The New Citizens Council: A 1950's Migrant Trade Union |
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Article Category | Magazine |
Authors | Nilsson, Ebony and Persian, Jayne |
Publication Title | Radical Currents: Labour Histories |
Radical Currents: Labour Histories | |
Journal Citation | (4), pp. 18-19 |
Article Number | 6 |
Number of Pages | 2 |
Year | 2024 |
Publisher | Australian Society for the Study of Labour History |
Place of Publication | Australia |
ISSN | 2653-472X |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.labourhistory.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Radical-Currents-No-4-2024.pdf |
Abstract | In October 1958 Polish migrant Jerzy Bielski, established a new trade union with a Greek partner, Solon Baltinos. Bielski had split acrimoniously with his former employer, the Australian Workers Union, for whom he had worked as a migrant organiser. This new trade union, named the New Citizens Council, was to be exclusively for migrants, in response to the perceived rejection of non-English-speaking migrants by Australian trade unions. While the migrant vote had been courted by Australian trade unions during the lead-up to the Labor Party split, by the later 1950s the unions were less interested in their migrant members and were disparaging of migrants’ unique problems. Bielski and Baltinos recognised migrant needs, communicating with the workers in familiar languages, and protesting their exclusion from both trade union and political conversations. |
Keywords | trade unions; migrant; Australia; New Citizens Council; post-war |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 430302. Australian history |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Australian Catholic University |
University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zx478/the-new-citizens-council-a-1950-s-migrant-trade-union
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