TWENTY-TWO
Factory strikes across Melbourne quickly disrupted the smooth running of the Victorian economy, with most lasting more than a week. Trucks lay idle, rendering the few remaining villages strung along the once mighty Murray River short of food. Fish-farm employees joined the strike mid-week. Standing in small groups beside freeways, they held colourful hand-made banners, protesting against harsh conditions and low wages. Markets remained open in suburban villages, as fresh produce was still available, most coming from farms on the city fringes, tended by low-risk prisoners.
State Parliament sat long into the night, formulating new laws to reinforce existing bans on strikes. Early each morning, a government spokesperson, flanked by armed guards, emerged from the imposing building
