On Strike, or, Where do the Girls come in?

by Edric Glenfield

—that is, not allowed to sit down when not serving customers.

He went further into the question, and he found out that Messrs. Cordon and Co. treated their girls well in comparison to another firm of the name of Paul Pry, who keep open at night, whereas Cordon’s always close at six o’clock.

There are some mercantile establishments in Sydney which it is advisable for the public convenience should be kept open till a late hour, as their customers are principally men who are working all day, and can only get away after six o’clock to purchase any articles they may require. I allude to such a business as that of Ringbourne, of George Street, the bootmaker, whose business is done amongst seafaring men, and Ringbourne, by keeping open, is benefitting the public as well as himself, but the people who deal with the drapers’ shops are mostly women, who can do their shopping in the afternoon, and have no need to do it at night.

It must be remembered that the class of young women I am alluding to, on account of the way in which they behave, have as much right to be treated with proper respect as the Governor’s wife has. But are they treated as they ought to be? Yes, by the gentlemen who go in on business, but not by the shop-walkers and other men who are in authority over them.

It is generally known that barmaids are looked down upon on account of the position they hold. I myself should not wish to see my sister behind a bar; but if my sister was in Australia, and had to work for a living, I would sooner see her behind some of the bars in Sydney than in a situation in a firm of the description of Lazy, Bones and Co., Cordon, or Paul Pry. Of course, as everybody knows, there are bars and bars, barmaids and barmaids; but in the respectable hotels a girl who behaves herself is treated better and leads a better life and gets higher pay than the female employees in firms of the description of those I have mentioned.

I might refer to a hotel in Sydney which is well-known by the name of Nodoubts. In this hotel the young women are treated as well and with as much respect as it is possible to treat a woman who has to work for her livelihood, but at the same time the barmaids in Nodoubts would sooner be behind a counter in the employment of one of the leading drapers in Sydney, if they got proper pay and treatment, than behind any bar.

The Hero, having ascertained that the women in Sydney had some real grievances, at once set about to rectify them. He consulted with some friends in Sydney whose sympathy was on the side of the working girls, and they organised a system of campaign for the girls’ strike. Every respectable girl earning her own living was called out on strike, and received a pound a week out of Reginald’s own pocket. About five thousand girls came out, and the employers at once filled up their places with union men who were out of employment owing to the late strike amongst the men.

Of course, the fact of having wharf labourers and officers of the steamers employed in the place of the girls in these establishments caused a great deal of annoyance to the Sydney public generally. It is a well-known fact that there are certain articles which a lady may require which she can only ask a woman to serve her with, and, though the capitalists themselves were opposed to the strike, their wives, feeling the inconvenience they were subjected to, were urging them when at home to give in to the demands of the strikers. A girl on strike also has a great advantage over a man in a similar position. When a man strikes he is unable to work at all; he can do nothing but walk about the streets with his hands in his pockets, looking absolutely miserable; the girl on the other hand can always employ herself at home doing needlework, or some other useful occupation, which would at the same time bring in a certain amount of money towards her support. It was felt by Inspector Gooseberry and his staff that precautions must be taken to protect the city against any possible outbreak amongst the girl strikists. Though the girls had behaved in a thoroughly lady-like manner, still 5,000 of them walking about Sydney together caused a great deal of inconvenience to the public, and traffic generally was much incommoded.