Ep 19 – Jobs for women! Fighting sexism at the Port Kembla steelworks

People's History of Australia

Since it was founded in the 1920s, BHP’s Port Kembla steelworks has completely dominated the town of Wollongong, employing over 25,000 workers at its peak and physically towering over the city.

For much of its existence, the steelworks also systematically discriminated against women. Company management deliberately confined women to only the lowest-paying jobs, refused to employ women as steelworkers, and made up arbitrary rules to keep women out – all while constantly advertising for new jobs.

In the 1970s, women in Wollongong decided to fight back. They protested, chained themselves to the gates of the steelworks, and sneaked in and stayed for overnight shifts with the support of male steelworkers. Then, in 1980, activists stepped up the pressure and began a largescale Jobs for Women campaign that involved thousands of workers, led to a protest encampment being set up outside the steelworks, and witnessed mass rallies for women’s rights in the centre of Wollongong. Shortly afterwards, BHP buckled and hired over 300 women steelworkers, and committed to ending discriminatory hiring practices. JfW activists then launched the first anti-discrimination class action case in Australian history, which led to them being awarded $1.4 million in damages.

To talk about this amazing struggle, we’re joined by socialist activist Diana Covell, a founding member of the Jobs for Women campaign and a former steelworker at Port Kembla. Diana talks about her history as an activist across a range of now-famous campaigns, about the Jobs for Women campaign, and about the humour, joy and camaraderie of fighting alongside her fellow campaigners.

Diana has written about the Jobs for Women campaign in the 2019 anthology The far left in Australia since 1945, which you can purchase here. You can also read a journal article written by Diana about the JfW campaign and a similar struggle in Canada here. Diana will also soon be releasing a book about the JfW struggle, so stay tuned for that!

Opening music courtesy of Glitter Rats. Closing music, ‘The Giant Feels Their Sting’, courtesy of Sue Edmonds, who wrote the song to celebrate the court victory against BHP while working as Artist in Residence at the South Coast Labour Council. People’s History of Australia logo design courtesy of Nissenbaum Design.