Harold "Jock" Barnes (17 July 1907 – 31 May 2000) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

trade unionist 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 ...

and

syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

, leader of the Waterside Workers Union from 1944 to 1952. He was heavily involved in the

1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute The 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute was the largest and most widespread industrial dispute in New Zealand history. Over the period, up to 20,000 workers went on strike in support of waterfront workers protesting against financial hardships ...

. His memoir ''Never a White Flag'' was published in 1998.

Biography

Barnes was born in Auckland to parents who had emigrated from Cumberland in England. They lived in Grey Lynn, and when he was four they moved to Mount Albert. He went to Point Chevalier then Edendale schools, and to

Auckland Grammar School Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

in 1921. Next year at 15 he became a foundation pupil at

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

. He left school in 1925 and joined the Lands and Survey Department as a draughting cadet. He married Freda Jacobs in 1928. Because of his political activities he was “transferred” to the New Plymouth office of the department in 1932, and on refusing to go was dismissed, which he appealed to the Supreme Court and to the Labour Party. In 1933 he obtained a waterfront job at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery, but was dismissed for refusing to load two Matson Line ships, the ''Mariposa'' and ''Monterey'', which had been declared black by American longshoremen. In 1935 he was accepted by the Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union. In 1944 he was elected national president of the union. Blacklisted from the waterfront and other jobs after the 1951 dispute, he worked as a drainlayer's labourer. After obtaining a drainlayer's ticket he went into business for himself with his son Bill, retiring in 1980 at the age of 73. He was president of the Master Drainlayers Association for 14 years, and a representative on the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Jock New Zealander syndicalists 1907 births 2000 deaths New Zealand left-wing activists New Zealand trade union leaders People educated at Auckland Grammar School People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School Syndicalists New Zealand Labour Party politicians