O’SHEA, Clarence Lyell (‘Clarrie’) (1905-?)
B. 30 June 1905. M. ? D. ?
Conductor at North Melbourne for 21 years and driver at Essendon Depot Melbourne for about two years both with Tramways Board; Delegate, Victorian Branch of Tramways’ Union for six years, later to become the Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees’ Union; Sec. Victorian Branch of Tramways’ Union from 1947-1970 (retired) and stood for office seven times in this period; Pres. 1946-47; Fed. Sec. Tramways’ Union, 1942-44, Fed. Pres. from 1961; Gained improvements in wages and working conditions including the removal of ‘call backs’ and ‘call forwards’ and the gaining of time-and-a-half for Saturday work and double time for Sunday work; Gaoled for defying the Commonwealth Industrial Court ruling for refusing to pay fines levied on the union and was held to be in contempt of Court in 1969; Prominent trade union and public protest, including widespread strike action across the country against the use of penal provisions for union activity forced government to release him from gaol and put an end to the use of penal provisions at the time; Member CPA after split in Peking oriented group.
Recorder, May 1994 No. 185; Playford thesis p.428; Merrifield index; Tramway Record, Jan. 1949 p. 22, Jan. 1971 p.2, Mar. 1971 pp. 16, 18; Tribune, 14 May 1969 p.3 No. 1607