People Australia

George Slater (1927-1998) linesman, trade union official, postal commissioner 

Birth: 14 April 1927 at Surrey Hills, Melbourne, son of William Henry George Slater (1864-1938), a railway worker, born at Southampton, Hampshire, England, and his second wife, native-born Eveline, née Abrahall, late Lennox (1893-1994). Marriage: to Joan Shirley Symons (1930-2023). They had three sons. Death: 1 November 1998 in Victoria. 

• Educated at Blackburn and Box Hill state schools and Richmond Technical College. Left school at 13 years of age.
• In World War II he was employed as a steward aboard the transport HMT Duntroon 1942 to 1945. The ship carried troops to operational areas in the South-West Pacific Area, qualifying him for membership of the Returned Sailors’, Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia (RSL) at the age of fifteen.
• Giving his occupation as labourer, he joined the Royal Australian Navy as an ordinary seaman on 10 February 1947; promoted to able seaman (1948); discharged on 24 February 1949.
• Became linesman at Box Hill line depot, Department of Postmaster-General, in 1949. Joined Amalgamated Postal Workers Union (later Australian Postal and Telecommunication Union). Augmented wages with professional foot-running in Victoria.
• Contracted polio in 1952 and was ill for 14 months and lived from superannuation.
• Rejoined PMG as cable jointer. Assistant Victorian Secretary of APWU in 1955. Secretary of Victorian branch of APWU in 1961.
• General Secretary of APWU from 1963 until he resigned due to ill-health in 1983.
• Represented members in Arbitration Court. Set up ‘Research and Industrial Section’ of union. Campaigned against penal clause when union members were fined and dismissed for participation in strike activity in 1964. Campaigned in support of rights of civil servants in public sector to strike.
• Member of the Australian Labor Party. Campaigned strongly against the Democratic Labor Party-based grouper movement in 1950s and 1960s. Contested Federal seat of Deakin for Labor in 1961.
• Visited China in 1966 under controversial circumstance as China’s relations with Russia were cool.
• Early in his career he had the support of the Left, but became a strong supporter of Bob Hawke to positions of president of ACTU in 1969 and prime minister in 1983.
• Management Board member (ACTU nominated) of newly-formed Postal Commission; Interim Commissioner to the Australian Postal Commission under Whitlam Labor Government; Commissioner, 1975-80 (resigned) and was the only union representative on the Commission; Government employee representative on ACTU executive until 1983.
• Was appointed AM for services to trade unionism in January 1984.

Sources
Merrifield Card Index, State Library of Victoria; F. Waters 1978, ‘Postal Unions and Politics’ p 268; Australian, 1 March 1983; Age (Melbourne) 16 January 1968, 24 July 1975, 1 March 1983; Sun, 18 September 1961, 19 September 1961, 4 July 1967, 1 March 1983, 10 March 1983; Herald, 26 Sept 1961, 15 January 1968, 12 June 1977; National Times 24 January 1972, 16 March 1980.