Marine Cooks, Bakers and Butchers' Association of Australasia was an Australian trade union. It was formed in Melbourne in August 1907 as a breakaway group from the

Federated Stewards and Cooks' Union of Australia Federated may refer to: * Federated state, a constituent state within a federal state * Federated school, a model of administration in some educational institutions * Federated congregation, a type of religious congregation Computing * Fede ...

and was registered under the '' Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904'' in January 1908 and affiliated with the Trades and Labour Council in April 1908. The Association represented workers employed as cooks, bakers, butchers and other food preparation roles aboard ships in Australia and New Zealand. In November 1908 Mr Justice Higgins issued a judgement on rates of pay and hours for marine cooks in a case involving the Association and the

Commonwealth Steamship Owners' Association A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

. The Association moved its Head Office moved from Melbourne to Sydney in January 1915. In 1983, the Association completed amalgamation with the

Seamen's Union of Australia The Seamen's Union of Australia (SUA) was the principal trade union for merchant seamen in Australia from 1876 to 1991. The SUA developed a reputation as one of the most militant trade unions in Australia and was closely associated with the ...

(SUA).Smith, Bruce A. created 20 April 2001, last modified 6 August 2010. Trade Union Entry: Marine Cooks Bakers & Butchers Association of Australasia. "http://www.atua.org.au/biogs/ALE0594b.htm". Australian Trade Union Archives. Retrieved 14 March 2011.

Amalgamation

Following a history of co-operation on industrial issues, and the problem of reduced membership due to changes in the industry such as automation, the Marine Cooks, Bakers and Butchers' Association decided on 8 August 1979 to amalgamate with the

(SUA). The final vote on amalgamation was passed with a 71% majority of the association's membership in favour of the change. The process of amalgamation, including dealing with objections raised by the

Miscellaneous Workers' Union The Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union (F.M.W.U.), commonly known as the 'Missos', was an Australian trade union which existed between 1915 and 1992. It represented an extremely diverse and disparate range of occupations, but its core support ...

, meant that the association continued to exist, gradually merging with the SUA, a process which was completed in 1984. Kirkby, Diane. (2008). "Voices from the ships: Australia's seafarers and their union". p.85. University of New South Wales Press: Sydney. . dui: 331.88113875 The amalgamation had a number of advantages, including eliminating

demarcation disputes A demarcation dispute is a dispute between (usually) two trades unions as to whose members should do a particular job, and is associated with multi-unionism in an enterprise, where two labour unions claim the right to represent the same class or g ...

with the SUA, reducing operating costs for the small union, and providing resources to improve training and qualifications.

References

{{Reflist Defunct trade unions of Australia Seafarers' trade unions Trade unions established in 1908 Trade unions disestablished in 1983 1908 establishments in Australia Baking industry