A good turnout in the rather isolated Blackball kicked off the weekends events, aimed at celebrating the 11 week strike, which, 100 years earlier, helped strengthen the rights of miners, workers and unionism throughout the country. Arriving to the main street decorated in red banners stating "United we stand, divided we fall", we knew we were in for a fun, if not interesting weekend.

I'm not going to elaborate on the actual history of the strike, which can easily be found online, but rather the mood and some of the ideas which came out of the weekend. We had missed the first nights events, but Saturday held the parade of around 200 people, which trooped through the rain, complete with chants of 'get back to work' from the 'capitalist' section of the procession, closely followed by the singing of 'Solidarity Forever' and other worker songs. Ending up at the mine entrance after half the parade's children had chased the 'capitalist' (Jonah) down the street, the fun vibe was replaced with a quiet respect for past and present miners who had braved terrible working conditions, class discrimination and more often than not, death.

Sat night included choir songs and singing from a few groups, 'The West Coast Wobblies' and 'Choir Choir Pants on Fire', the Wellington women's trade union choir, all taking place at the Regent Theatre in Greymouth. It was cool to see everyone on their feet at one point singing 'Solidarity Forever' with their fists raised! Paul Maunder's play was also great — hopefully to be shown outside of the coast soon.

The next day, and what I had been looking forward to the most, a seminar on Labourism in New Zealand. We were privileged with some great speakers, including the author of "Blackball 08', among others. What I was most interested in was how much of the weekend would be co-opted by the Labour Party, which can tend to link its history with the militancy of the 1908 strike. And while the Labour Party did eventually grow out of the Red Feds, I think the original ideas of the strike — its outright militancy against the company, its calling for the destruction of the capitalist class, along with the IWW and radical syndicalist ideas which influenced it — have very few things in common with the Labour Party, both past and present.

After about 3 speakers, who talked about revolutionary and radical socialism, Pat Hickey, and the unionism surrounding the strike itself, a well timed 3 News reporter managed to catch the representative of the Labour Party (can't remember her name) take over the podium and rattle on about new legislation concerning 10 minute breaks and breast feeding in the workplace, in 'the interest of both business and workers'. Sadly, it was rather indicative of the evolution of the Labour Party, that is to say, having a very diluted and watery interest in workers rights at best. The most interesting talk of the day, for me, was Mark from The Trade Union History Project (sorry can't remember names, crap review, I know), on the 1908 strike in context with other radical unionism at the time, especially with reference to the radical IWW and a relatively unknown New Zealand anarcha-feminist operating in New York along side Emma Goldman.

However way-ward the Labour Party has strayed, or the effectiveness of most NZ unions has sadly lost, what was clear from the weekend for me, was that worker solidarity is still relevant and hugely important— direct action and unionism (and I mean this in its most radical sense), which was the tool of the winning miners in the 1908 strike can still be a weapon in the class struggle. Through direct action, rather than parliamentary legislation, was the rights of these miners won — a lesson which we can learn from and move forward towards the real emancipation of the working class, and not just sad reforms and lunch break legislation.

Thanks to all the friendly people over the weekend, your hospitality and generosity was greatly appreciated!

Jared Davidson
Garage Collective