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           Shipping Stevedoring Port Services Hydrocarbons Diving  Jul-Aug 2008        |
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MUA reaches out to schools22 March 2004
MUA website designed for students to learn what unionism is all about In March 2004 the MUA launched an education package on its website designed for use in Australian secondary schools where there are curriculum opportunities to teach and learn about Australian trade unions and unionism. The material would also assist tertiary students seeking basic IR background knowledge. A note for teachers explains how the package can be used in the classroom. There is a brief history of the MUA and its parent organisations, the Seamen's Union of Australia and the Waterside Workers' Federation, written for readers with no prior knowledge of the union. A series of questions are designed to help students gain an overview of the union.
Rowan Cahill, who conceived and wrote the package, is a labour movement historian and journalist, and for many years was a classroom teacher. He is co-author of A History of the Seamen's Union of Australia, 1872-1972 (1981) and wrote the Study Guide accompanying the film Wharfies (1988).
Explaining why students should learn about trade unions, Cahill points out that trade unionism has been a major force in the shaping of Australian society and culture.
"Trade unions have helped shape the way Australians live, from their wages and working conditions to legislation protecting and advancing equity and social justice," he said. "Some, like the maritime unions, grew out of the experience of living and working in the Australian colonies and are amongst the nation's oldest economic and political formations. Collectively trade unions have been a dynamic force in shaping Australia's social and cultural history. "
"However this contribution tends to be overlooked, ignored, or forgotten, a process in which the collective spirit of the Australian character‚ is neglected in favour of individualism," he said. "Important facts with far reaching political, social, and cultural implications are sidelined, for instance that during the 1880s and 1890s New South Wales and Victoria were probably the most unionised places in the world; that before 1901, well over 4000 unions formed in Australia.
"Trade unions have been, and remain, a significant feature of Australian society, and it is fitting that students have some familiarity with them," said Cahill.
Cahill also points out that many students begin their working lives while at school. "They participate in Work Experience programs and many find part-time employment, after school and at weekends, especially in the retail and fast food industries.
"If students are regarded as being suitable to be employees, then it is remiss of anyone to deny them the opportunity to learn about trade unionism, and about having some power over the determination of their wages and conditions and the quality of their working lives," said Cahill.
The MUA education package joins the few Australian trade union websites with material about trade unionism intended for student and teacher use. These include the ACTU Worksite for Schools (www.worksite.actu.asn.au To locate the MUA education project go to the MUA home page http://www.mua.org.au/ ; select About Us on the main menu, then click Ships of Shame, pirates, pickets & ports and follow the prompts.
For further information
Public News: You can view MUA's publicly available news in a variety of ways. Please select one of our public news indexes. |
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This page: http://mua.org.au/news/general/educ.html Site proudly designed and engineered by Social Change Online |
© 2001 Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) |
