Edward Russell (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Edward Fitzgerald Russell (27 June 1867 – 14 August 1943) was an Australian trade unionist.
Born at Rocky Lead near Daylesford
in Victoria
to Irish-born teacher Henry Russell and Maria Louisa, née Doyle. Young Edward became a compositor, and on 24 October 1890 married Catherine McCoy at Dandenong
. They moved to Port Melbourne in 1894; Russell continued as a compositor until 1899. He subsequently worked intermittently as a labourer, a candlemaker and a casual dockhand. He later worked as a "vat man" in a soap factory; the family struggled financially at this time. Russell was appointed secretary of the Victorian Agricultural Implement Makers' Society in August 1907 despite not working in this area; his membership of the Victorian Socialist Party
is believed to have helped him get the position. He represented the society in the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
against Hugh Victor McKay
in September 1907; his wife Kate was used by H. B. Higgins
in his landmark Harvester Judgement as an example of struggling working-class women. After the High Court
struck down the decision Russell and his union were once more in financial stress.
In January 1911 the union declared that all industry workers were required to join; McKay and the employers responded with a lockout and the use of free labour and Russell was forced to compromise for only small wage increases. His membership of the Labor Party
was sporadic, contesting local elections in Port Melbourne as a revolutionary socialist in 1907, but he served as a Labor councillor for Port Melbourne from 1912 to 1914 (mayor in 1913). He contested East Gippsland in the 1911 state election and Echuca
in the 1919 federal election
and organised the anti-conscription
campaign in South Australia in 1916–17. From 1918 to 1919 he was President of the Melbourne Trades Hall Council.
His union bankrupt, Russell kept a lower profile during the 1910s. He and the union returned to the arbitration court in 1925 to seek further wage increases, but their case was rejected. In 1926 an attempt to reduce work hours was also unsuccessful, and unemployment in the industry forced Russell to call for increased tariffs on machinery. The financial situation did not improve during the Depression
, during which Russell's salary was £1 per week, and he resigned in February 1933. He and his son Roy, who had worked as an honorary assistant, claimed £500 in back payments; Roy addressed the union in 1936 claiming his father was destitute and threatening to go to the press and the union agreed to pay the debt in £1 instalments. Russell died in 1943 at Footscray
.
Born at Rocky Lead near Daylesford
Daylesford, Victoria
Daylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
to Irish-born teacher Henry Russell and Maria Louisa, née Doyle. Young Edward became a compositor, and on 24 October 1890 married Catherine McCoy at Dandenong
Dandenong, Victoria
Dandenong is a suburb and major urban centre in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 30 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Situated on Dandenong Creek and mostly flat land at the foothills of Mount Dandenong, it is the main administrative centre for the City of...
. They moved to Port Melbourne in 1894; Russell continued as a compositor until 1899. He subsequently worked intermittently as a labourer, a candlemaker and a casual dockhand. He later worked as a "vat man" in a soap factory; the family struggled financially at this time. Russell was appointed secretary of the Victorian Agricultural Implement Makers' Society in August 1907 despite not working in this area; his membership of the Victorian Socialist Party
Victorian Socialist Party
The Victorian Socialist Party was a socialist political party in Victoria, Australia in the early 20th century. The VSP was founded in 1906 in Melbourne, bringing together a number of older socialist groupings. A leading influence in the VSP's formation was the British trade unionist Tom Mann, who...
is believed to have helped him get the position. He represented the society in the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration is a defunct Australian court, which had jurisdiction to arbitrate interstate industrial disputes....
against Hugh Victor McKay
Hugh Victor McKay
Hugh Victor McKay CBE, was an Australian inventor of the Sunshine Harvester and industrialist.-Early life:...
in September 1907; his wife Kate was used by H. B. Higgins
H. B. Higgins
Henry Bournes Higgins , Australian politician and judge, always known in his lifetime as H. B. Higgins, was a highly influential figure in Australian politics and law.-Career:...
in his landmark Harvester Judgement as an example of struggling working-class women. After the High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
struck down the decision Russell and his union were once more in financial stress.
In January 1911 the union declared that all industry workers were required to join; McKay and the employers responded with a lockout and the use of free labour and Russell was forced to compromise for only small wage increases. His membership of the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
was sporadic, contesting local elections in Port Melbourne as a revolutionary socialist in 1907, but he served as a Labor councillor for Port Melbourne from 1912 to 1914 (mayor in 1913). He contested East Gippsland in the 1911 state election and Echuca
Division of Echuca
The Division of Echuca was anAustralian Electoral Division in Victoria.The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1937. It was named for the town of Echuca. It was located in the Murray Valley area,...
in the 1919 federal election
Australian federal election, 1919
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1919. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes defeated the opposition Australian...
and organised the anti-conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
campaign in South Australia in 1916–17. From 1918 to 1919 he was President of the Melbourne Trades Hall Council.
His union bankrupt, Russell kept a lower profile during the 1910s. He and the union returned to the arbitration court in 1925 to seek further wage increases, but their case was rejected. In 1926 an attempt to reduce work hours was also unsuccessful, and unemployment in the industry forced Russell to call for increased tariffs on machinery. The financial situation did not improve during the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, during which Russell's salary was £1 per week, and he resigned in February 1933. He and his son Roy, who had worked as an honorary assistant, claimed £500 in back payments; Roy addressed the union in 1936 claiming his father was destitute and threatening to go to the press and the union agreed to pay the debt in £1 instalments. Russell died in 1943 at Footscray
Footscray, Victoria
Footscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
.