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Records of the Christmas Island Staff Association, 1976-1982

Abstract Or Scope

The records of the Christmas Island Staff Association were donated to the National Library by the former secretary of the Association, Bill Bovell. They cover the activities of the Association from its formation in 1976 until it was disbanded in 1982. Most of the material consists of files, some of which are numbered and well indexed on the inside front cover. An index to these is appended. These files include minutes; correspondence, discussions, agreements, newsletters and administrative records. Unnumbered files relate mainly to the union activities of the Association and date from early 1980. However some fall within the previously mentioned categories and have been grouped with like files in the series. Correspondence covers letters, both typed and handwritten and telexes. It is filed according to correspondents which are the British Phosphate Company (and later the Phosphate Mining Company of Christmas Island), the Government (both that of the Territory of Christmas Island and the Australian), the Arbitrator (Mr J. Taylor) and members of the Association, Union records include claims, disputes, variations to the award and salaries and conditions of employment. The issue of "redundancy" was an important one throughout the life of the Association and not only are a number of files devoted to it but there are references to it on many of the other files. Besides the Associations records the collection includes records of the Christmas Island Advisory Council and submissions to the Sweetland Inquiry into the viability of Phosphate mining on Christmas Island. The creation of series has been based on the arrangement of the Associations file index. As already mentioned both numbered and unnumbered files have been grouped when they are related and each file has been given a unique number for identification within a series. To avoid confusion with file index numbers these latter numbers have been incorporated into the title of the file. A list of files is given in Appendix II.

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