H. A. Turner and “Australian Labor's Closed Preserve”: Explaining the Rise of “Closed Unionism” in the Broken Hill Mining Industry

Abstract

This article revisits H. A. Turner's classic typology of union strategy and structure and argues that, with some refinement, it remains illuminating of the process of union closure. What Turner leaves largely unexamined is the precise connection between closed unions and labour markets. The insights offered by economic geographer Jamie Peck on the local specificity of labour market segmentation and regulation, enable us to bridge this lacuna in Turner's formulation. Synthesising the work of Turner and Peck, we argue that a crucial consideration in understanding union structures is their strategic orientation towards local labour market regulation. It is not occupational entry restriction per se which defines closed unionism, but rather entry restriction to labour markets segmented and regulated in locally specific ways. Drawing on this insight, it is possible to explain one of the best known and enduring instances of union closure, namely that of mining unionism in Broken Hill—what one overseas observer described as “Australian labor's closed preserve.”