Edward Charles Roach (1909–1997), was an Australian trade unionist, long-time leader of the

Waterside Workers' Federation The Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia (WWF) was an Australian trade union that existed from 1902 to 1993. After a period of negotiations between other Australian maritime unions, it was federated in 1902 and first federally registered ...

(WWF) and prominent member of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political parties, Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membersh ...

. He was a key organiser of the

1938 Dalfram dispute The Dalfram dispute of 1938 (15 November 1938 to 21 January 1939) was a political industrial dispute at Port Kembla, New South Wales, protesting the export of pig iron from Australia to Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It became famou ...

, when dock workers, concerned with the occupation of China, refused to load ships destined for Japan with Australian pig-iron, a raw material for munitions. He was twice imprisoned for his industrial activity. As a leader in the WWF during the introduction of containerisation, he was responsible for winning significant improvements in working conditions for those in the Australian stevedoring industry.

Early life

Roach was born in poverty in Coledale, on the South Coast of New South Wales in 1909, the third of eight children, to a coal-mining father and housewife mother. The political background of the area is covered by Joseph Davis in "Wobbly Wollongong: anti-capitalist attitudes and activism in the Northern Ilawarra Mining Townships of Scarborough and Coledale 1914-1919". Two of his siblings died as babies. He left school at 13 to mine coal in Newcastle. With the onset of the Great Depression, Roach traveled through northern New South Wales and Queensland seeking work. In 1931, in

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

he became a member of the Communist Party and became local branch secretary of the Unemployed Workers' Movement.

Waterside Workers' Federation

Returning to New South Wales in the mid-1930s, he joined the Newcastle Branch of the

(WWF) in 1934. In 1936, he moved to the South Coast Branch, which covered

Port Kembla A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...

. He was elected Branch Secretary in March 1938 on a platform of agitating for significant improvements in working conditions at the Port. The branch was successful in securing the first union-controlled employment roster in an Australian port. The growing strength of the local branch was exemplified in the Dalfram dispute of November that same year. Citing the

Japanese invasion of China The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, the union refused to load pig-iron ore aboard a ship, the Dalfram, that was destined for a munitions factory in Japan. The dispute drew the attention of the Attorney-General, Robert Menzies (future Prime Minister), who would earn the nick-name "Pig-Iron Bob" that would stand for the rest of his life for his attempts to force the union to cease the industrial action. During World War Two, Roach was able to consolidate the gains made in Port Kembla and extend these to other ports. He helped bring back the Permanent and Casual Wharf Labourers' Union which had split from the union in 1917. In 1942 he was elected Assistant General Secretary-Organiser. In 1949 during the

miners' strike Miners' strikes are when miners conduct strike actions. See also * List of strikes References {{Reflist Miners A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are tw ...

, he was held in contempt for using trade union resources to support the miners sent to gaol for six weeks. In 1951, as part of the WWF agitation over the Commonwealth Arbitration Court's considerations of adjustments to the minimum wage in Australia, Roach was found in contempt of court and spent nine and a half months in gaol. The only full biography of Ted Roach is the 2021 publication "Ted Roach – From Pig Iron Hero To Long Bay Gaol: A Wharfie’s Life" by Denis Kevans, .

Later life

Roach died in on 25 February 1997, three weeks after his wife.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roach, Ted 1909 births 1997 deaths Australian trade unionists Communist Party of Australia members People from the Illawarra