Ep 17: The Christmas (Island) Episode

Labour Days: a labour movement podcast

In our first seasonal special, we tell the inspiring story of the Union of Christmas Island Workers (UCIW), a trade union on the Australian territory of Christmas Island, so named by an East India Company explorer who arrived there on Christmas Day, 1643. The UCIW’s story is one of inspiring working-class internationalism against racism, and we feel it contains a lot of important messages for many issues facing us today. Thanks to our researcher Holly for researching and writing this episode. Here’s some references and suggested further reading from Holly: Les Waters – The Union of Christmas Island Workers Michelle Dimasi – Australia’s Asylum Seeker Policy and Christmas Island (unpublished thesis) Michelle Dimasi, Linda Briskman – ‘Let Them Land: Christmas Islander Responses to Tampa’ in the Journal of Refugee Studies 2010 https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/world/asia/16australia.html?src=mv https://www.fwc.gov.au/registered-organisations/find-registered-organisations/union-christmas-island-workers-uciw https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/102b3c9e-8516-3033-bed9-0bbd3e24646b https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/no-paradise-on-christmas-island/news-story/bb7a12834c50ace7db3013ef11709acf?nk=38ab75f97053c7d4a07ed82d1ad30e22-1542471036 https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/asylum-seekers-on-christmas-island-stitch-lips-together-in-hunger-strike-20140602-39cvi.html However you’re celebrating, have a very merry Christmas, and we’ll see you in 2019.