People Australia

Rex Albert Munn (1928-2012) wharf labourer, trade union activist and Communist

Birth: 18 June 1928 at Mannum, South Australia, son of George Thomas Munn (1901-) shearer and worker in implement factory, and Rose May, née Schultz (1904-) housekeeper in boarding house. Marriages: (1) details unknown, to Rosemarie Joan Thirsk (1932-1997), born at Adelaide. They had three? children. (2) 1977 to Marcia Pearl, née Parfit, late Mitchell. Death: 21 November 2012 at Port Adelaide, SA.   

• Educated at Mannum Primary School, Mannum High School and Woodville High School.
• Began doing milk deliveries at the age of 8. Moved to Adelaide in 1939 and started work at the age of 14½ at the Municipal Tramways Trust as a clerk and labourer; worked there for four years and studied accountancy.
• Joined Waterside Workers Federation (WWF) in 1951 and was accepted in the first ballot. Worked at the wharf for thirty-six years and loved his whole time there, loved the struggle and the comradeship, it was the start of his political education; he bought the Tribune at the union office.
• Joined the Communist Party of Australia in 1953, recruited by Jim Mitchell and they worked in the same gang.
• He was a singer at church and became a member of a group that raised money for the Spastic Centre, never had any formal singing lessons. In 1954 the wharfies formed an entertainment group and performed in the Wharfies Hall during the three-week strike of 1956, providing entertainment every night, he compered the show and was chair of the entertainment committee.
• They did a lot of fund-raising for the 1956 strike and were successful in getting a pay rise in the casual rate of pay and social conditions including sick pay; there was a strike every week in the 50s and 60s until permanency was gained in 1966.
• Left the CPA when the Party split. The entertainment group was active for 10 years – they also showed Charlie Chaplin and Paul Robeson films.
• He was a shop steward up until he retired – in the 50s and 60s there were up to 100 gangs of 2,500 workers, all men had to be financial members of the union. He worked at Port Adelaide and Outer Harbour – the most militant was elected as gang delegate as they did all the representations with the ship owners.
• He was also the vigilance officer at the union – responsible for policing the award. He was a full-time official from 1984 to 1987 and had to deal with the ship owners. As a delegate his main duties were safety issues and ensuring that international standards were maintained for rigging and wiring and gear. Many disputes were over chemical spills.
• Regularly was acting secretary of WWF; appointed then elected as vigilance officer; regularly provided reports to stop-work meetings. In 1985 there was an 18-week dispute over a corrupt captain and trying to get the men paid – good press coverage and won dispute.
• He regularly kept ships in port until wages were paid as this was part of his role as an International Transport Federation representative for Port Adelaide.