Eliot Valens Elliott, also known as Vic Elliott, (12 September 1902 – 26 November 1984) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader of 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 C ...

(SUA) from 1941 to 1978.

Biography

Born in

Huntly, New Zealand Huntly () (population ) is a town in the Waikato district and region of the North Island of New Zealand. It was on State Highway 1 (until Huntly bypass opened in March 2020), south of Auckland and north of Hamilton. It is situated on the ...

, Elliott left school at the age of 15, briefly worked on the New Zealand railways, before becoming a merchant seaman and travelling the world. During the 1920s, Elliott moved to Australia to live and work as a seafarer. He was a shipboard delegate during the Seamen's Strike of 1925, which severely disrupted trade between Britain, South Africa and Australasia. By 1935 Elliott had become recognised as a leader of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n seamen and was prominent in a bitter strike against an unsatisfactory

Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

and poor working conditions that lasted from December 1935 to February 1936. The strike failed with the union left divided and crippled. Recognised by his peers as a skilled and militant trade unionist, he was elected leader of the

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Branch of the Seamen's Union of Australia (SUA) in 1936 and also joined 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 communist party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been ...

that year. In 1941, he was elected Federal Secretary of the union, a position he was to hold continually until his retirement in 1978. Under Elliot's leadership, the SUA contributed significantly to the war effort during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and over the years, the harsh and dangerous working conditions of rank and file Australian seamen greatly improved. Elliott adopted a policy of as much face-to-face contact with the rank and file as possible and established a journal, ''The Seamen's Voice'', which allowed for significant debate and contributions from members and emphasised the importance of unity, solidarity and internationalism among seamen and maritime workers.

Postwar

In recognition of his organisational capabilities, in 1949, he was elected vice president of the Seamen's and Dockers Trade Department of the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...

, with Australian-born American longshoreman

Harry Bridges Harry Bridges (28 July 1901 – 30 March 1990) was an Australian-born American union leader, first with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA). In 1937, he led several Pacific Coast chapters of the ILA to form a new union, the In ...

elected president. Elliott supported the

Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The in ...

in 1968 and he was a founding member of the Socialist Party of Australia in 1971. While many labelled him a ''

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

'', he was a dynamic leader of the Seamen's Union, who used every opportunity to advance the interests of his members including strong advocacy for the Australian merchant fleet. With the advancement of shipbuilding in the 1960s and

containerisation Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers, or ISO containers). Containerization, also referred as container stuffing or container loading, is the process of uni ...

, Elliott and the union's policy making body, the National Committee of Management (COM), met over four days in June 1968 and hammered out a historic document formulating the union's attitude to technological change on the basis of social progress that was subsequently unanimously adopted at meetings of seamen around Australia. Over the next 20 years, a substantial amount of this policy of fundamental improvement of working conditions was achieved. Elliott said in 1968 that seamen had "to take advantage of technological developments" and that "the future belongs to us if we learn how to grasp and hold it". He explained, "We believe men are more important than machines and new ships." The ''Seamens' Union of Australia'', which amalgamated with the ''Waterside Workers Federation'' in 1993 to form the

Maritime Union of Australia The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) was a union which covered waterside workers, seafarers, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. The MUA was formed in 1993 with merger of the Seamen's Un ...

, was also renowned in the

Australian labour movement The Australian labour movement began in the early 19th century and since the late 19th century has included industrial (Australian unions) and political wings (Australian Labor Party). Trade unions in Australia may be formed on the basis of cra ...

for its involvement nationally and internationally in political issues like the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and in protests against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, motivated by the necessity of social progress in work and society on a national and international scale. Some of the ashes of Elliott were scattered on the sea south east of

Sydney Heads The Sydney Heads (also simply known as the Heads) are a series of headlands that form the wide entrance to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north; South Head and Dunbar Head are to ...

at a mariner's funeral service held on the morning of 12 April 1985.

References

* Details of E. V. Elliott's life and career can be found in the book by Brian Fitzpatrick and Rowan Cahill, ''The Seamen's Union of Australia 1872-1972: A History'', Seamen's Union of Australia, Sydney, 1981.
Sea Change - An essay in maritime labour history
by Rowan Cahill * For details of the life and career of Elliott's long-time partner, Della Elliott, see Rowan Cahill,
Dedicated to the Workers' Struggle
, ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 4 November 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Eliot V. 1902 births 1984 deaths Australian sailors Australian trade unionists Australian communists Activists from Sydney People from Huntly, New Zealand New Zealand trade unionists New Zealand emigrants to Australia Communist Party of Australia members