1892 Broken Hill miners' strike

[2] During the four months from July to November 1892, both local miners and Women's Brigade were active in defending the mines from imported labour using organised direct action methods.

[3] Broken Hill developed as a mining town in the arid north-west of New South Wales near the Barrier Ranges after Charles Rasp, then a boundary rider/station hand for the Mount Gipps sheep station studied a 'black craggy hilltop' which he believed to contain black oxide of tin.

The original introduction of unionism in the area was through a meeting at the Adelaide Club Hotel in Silverton on 20 September 1884 with the resolution 'That this meeting deem it advisable to form a Miners' Association, to be called the Barrier Ranges Miners' Association',[6] and with the object to form 'a Friendly Society, to afford succor to members who sustained injury as the result of a mining accident.

'[7] Following the adoption of Trade Union Acts throughout Australian states in this decade, a further meeting was held at Silverton on 12 January 1886 where it was decided to reconstitute the organisation as branch of the Amalgamated Miners' Association of Australasia.

[1][5] According to Unbroken Spirit, 'Poor living conditions and negligent managerial policy on the mines at Broken Hill fed into a strong union presence from the very early days'.

[9] Women and children found life in the mining town harsh, yet fought alongside the miners in favour of the union goals despite the hardship prolonged strikes caused to family welfare.

[11] As a result of the delay in establishing this technology, 'huge heaps of tailings and slimes up to 40 ft high'[12] were left to build up around the town in the hope that an extraction method could be developed.

'At a special meeting of the Barrier Ranges Mining Managers' Association (MMA) in the Masonic Hall on 6 May 1892 it was resolved':[16] That clause 4 of the 1890 Agreement (which confirmed the above rates of wages but provided for a reduction in the working week from 48 hours to 46) should be struck out of that Agreement, and further, that there should be no restriction on any work either underground or at the surface.According to Laurent in Solomon (1988), the reason behind overturning this previously agreed-to clause was to take advantage of extra labour from other mines in an effort to offset reductions in profit caused by the slowing of the economy.

However Blainey attributes the overturning of the clause without union consultation to an assumption that the miners would prefer to be paid by the amount of ore extracted (and thus retain some influence over their take home pay) than work less hours.

[5] This included the Women's Brigade who were 'armed with sticks, broom handles and axe handles, set upon any man who attempted to pass through the union picket lines'.>[17] A street march was also held on the afternoon of the 25th led by Richard Sleath 'and a woman' on horseback which was accompanied by a brass marching band which led back through Argent St to the Central Reserve to receive speeches from several women and union leaders.