File:Registration card of the Wellington Domestic Workers' Union' (9718504437).jpg
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Not everyone in New Zealand believed they lived in a 'Workingman's Paradise' - especially women. Domestic workers faced a 16-hour day, 6½ days a week, and all for low wages. So on 22 September 1906 a meeting was held in Wellington to establish a union for women domestic workers. It was organised by feminist and trade unionist Marianne Tasker (herself a domestic worker), and a central demand of the meeting was for their working week to be reduced to 68 hours. As a result, the Wellington Domestic Workers' Industrial Union of Workers was registered on 28 November 1906. The meeting caused uproar in the press and in employer circles. Domestic service was seen as a woman's natural role, an ideal preparation for marriage and not 'real' work; "no girl can do better or higher work than that of making a home happy and comfortable." Employers quickly formed the Committee of Employers of Domestic Employees to meet the challenge and to prevent the union from improving their members' conditions. In mid 1907, before the union had found its feet, Marianne Tasker left New Zealand for a visit to Britain, and the acting secretary omitted to re-register the union. On her return in 1908 Tasker failed in her application to have the union re-registered, and the Registrar of Industrial Unions promptly cancelled its registration. To add insult to injury, the Registrar justified his decision on the grounds that a domestic worker was not a ‘worker’, because "domestic servants were kept for comfort and convenience." The record above shows the registration (and cancellation) of the Wellington Domestic Workers' Union. Is is from the Department of Labour series 'Registration cards of employee unions and employer organisations' 1895 -1991 (www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=18111), which forms an important record of labour organisations and relations throughout New Zealand's history. Most cards include more information that this one, such as names of the secretary and references to files. Archives Reference: ABLC 18111 W4234 Box 2 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=3449224 More on the the Domestic Workers' Union can be found at www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/domestic-workers-call-68-hour-w... For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ |
| Date | |
| Source | Registration card of the Wellington Domestic Workers' Union' |
| Author | Archives New Zealand from New Zealand |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives New Zealand at https://flickr.com/photos/35759981@N08/9718504437. It was reviewed on 18 February 2016 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0. |
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| current | 10:49, 18 February 2016 | | 1,128 × 764 (88 KB) | Ammienoot (talk | contribs) | Transferred from Flickr via Flickr2Commons |
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