Category Archives: Activism

New Zealand trade unionist

As one of the few women to gain a prominent position in the union hierarchy, Clark blazed a trail in the essentially masculine union world of mid-1900s New Zealand.

Purcell’s years of trade union activism spanned the depression, the term of the first Labour government, the introduction of compulsory unionism and the 40-hour week, and the ongoing campaign for equal pay for women workers. Her influence extended beyond her own unions, through the Auckland Trade Union Secretaries’ Association and, nationally, through the New Zealand Federated Shop Assistants’ Association.