Remembering Australia's longest strike: The 1946 Pilbara Strike 80 years on

On May Day 1946 hundreds of Aboriginal pastoral workers walked off stations across WA's Pilbara, demanding wages and decent work conditions
About this Event

The 1946 Pilbara Strike, 80 years on

Leila Clendon will discuss her research on the Pilbara Strike which commenced on May Day 1946 when hundreds of Aboriginal pastoral workers walked off stations across WA's Pilbara region, demanding wages, decent conditions, freedom of movement and the right to choose their own representatives.

For decades, Aboriginal workers had endured extreme exploitation, often paid only in rations under near-slavery conditions. The strike challenged both pastoralists and the wider colonial regime of control.

Lasting over three years, it became Australia’s longest strike, gaining national union support, including Seamen’s Union bans on shipping Pilbara wool. Even after the strike formally ended in 1949, many workers refused to return, instead forming mining cooperatives that created new forms of independence.

This talk draws on oral histories and original research to explore the Pilbara Strike and key figures including Dooley Bin Bin, Daisy Bindi, and Don McLeod.

This in-person free event is presented by the Labour History Society of SA

Ron Slee
President, Labour History Society of SA