Australian Workers' Union
Encyclopedia
The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia
's largest and oldest trade union
s. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral
and mining
industries in the 1880s, and currently has approximately 135,000 members. It has exercised an influence on the Australian trade union movement, and on the Australian Labor Party
throughout its history.
and David Temple in Creswick
, Victoria
in 1886. This union joined with shearers' unions in Bourke
and Wagga
in New South Wales
to form the Amalgamated Shearers Union of Australia in 1887. In 1894 this union amalgamated with the General Labourers Union, which had formed in 1891, to form the Australian Workers' Union.
The Queensland Shearers Union
, formed in 1887, and the Queensland Workers Union merged in 1891 to form the Amalgamated Workers Union of Queensland. In 1904 the AWUQ amalgamated with the AWU, to form a union with a combined membership of 34,000.
The AWU later absorbed a number of other unions in the pastoral, mining and timber industries notably the Amalgamated Workers Association of Queensland in 1913, and the Federated Mining Employees Association of Australia in 1917. Since these industries were the principal sources of Australia's wealth in the 19th century, the AWU soon became Australia's largest and most powerful union.
The defeat of the great 1891 shearers' strike
and the 1890 Maritime strike
led the AWU to reject direct action and extremism, and it has been a force for moderation in the Australian union movement ever since. It was a firm opponent of the Industrial Workers of the World
, the Communist Party of Australia
, NSW Premier Jack Lang and other radical forces in the Australian labour movement. For many years Communists were banned from AWU membership. In the 1930s the Communist Party launched a rival Pastoral Workers Industrial Union, but this failed to break the AWU's grip on its membership.
When the trade unions formed the Australian Labor Party
following the defeat of the 1890s strikes, the AWU became a powerful influence in the party, particularly in Queensland
and Western Australia
, and to a lesser extent in the other states. Labor state governments were heavily influenced by AWU leaders such as Edward Grayndler
, Tom Dougherty
and NSW AWU Secretary Charlie Oliver
. Labor was in government in Queensland from 1915 to 1929 and from 1932 to 1957, and the AWU was able to exert considerable political influence through long-serving premiers such as William Forgan Smith
and Ned Hanlon.
The federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 led to the establishment of a federal arbitration system. The AWU strongly supported arbitration as mechanism of resolving industrial disputes without resorting to strike action. The Pastoral Industry Award, negotiated by the AWU, was the first federal award granted by the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. The AWU maintained its registration under state industrial systems and continues to participate in many state awards.
During the years since federation that the Australian industrial relations system has been dominated by the Court and its successors, the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission
, the AWU and its members were among that system's principal beneficiaries. The AWU remains a strong advocate of arbitration in the union movement. The AWU was not affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions
for many years, preferring to maintain its independent relationship with the arbitration system.
With the shift in employment from the pastoral industries to the urban manufacturing and service sectors, the AWU's political influence and power declined as the pastoral areas became less significant in terms of employee numbers. This shift led to many rural electorate areas that were influenced by the AWU and workers falling to the conservative side of politics and in particular the National Party
. The split in the Queensland ALP in 1957, which resulted in Labor being in opposition for 32 years, deprived the AWU of its greatest area of influence, although it remained influential in the long-serving (1941–65 and 1976–88) New South Wales Labor governments.
In 1993 the AWU amalgamated with the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing & Engineering Employees (itself an amalgamation of the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia and the Australasian Society of Engineers) to form the AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union. In 1995 the union reverted to using the name Australian Workers' Union.
In recent years the AWU has sought to modernise and to broaden its membership beyond its declining traditional base. Today it represents workers in the metals, aviation, oil and gas, mining, construction, food processing and retail industries, as well as its traditional base in the pastoral and mining areas. Its expansion into new areas has brought the AWU into conflict with some other unions, particularly the National Union of Workers
and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
.
The AWU is the most powerful union in the Labor Right
faction of the Labor Party.
For many years the AWU published two newspapers, The Australian Worker in New South Wales and The Worker (founded in 1890) in Brisbane. Under the editorship of Henry Boote from 1916 to 1943 they were among the most influential union newspapers in Australia. The two papers were merged in 1974 and today The Australian Worker is published in a magazine format in association with Australian Consolidated Press
.
The AWU's rules are registered with Fair Work Australia
and its internal elections are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission
.
The AWU is affiliated with the Australian Labor Party
, Australian Council of Trade Unions
, the International Metalworkers' Federation
, the International Union of Foodworkers and the International Transport Workers Federation. The AWU's National President is Bill Ludwig
, and its National Secretary is Paul Howes
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's largest and oldest trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral
Pastoralism
Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...
and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industries in the 1880s, and currently has approximately 135,000 members. It has exercised an influence on the Australian trade union movement, and on the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
throughout its history.
History
The AWU grew from a number of earlier unions, notably the Australasian Shearers Union, founded by William SpenceWilliam Spence
William Guthrie Spence , Australian trade union leader and politician, played a leading role in the formation of both Australia's largest union, the Australian Workers Union, and the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:...
and David Temple in Creswick
Creswick, Victoria
Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census, Creswick had a population of 2,485...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1886. This union joined with shearers' unions in Bourke
Bourke, New South Wales
-Transportation:Bourke can be reached by the Mitchell Highway, with additional sealed roads from town to the north , east and south . The town is also served by Bourke Airport and has Countrylink bus service to other regional centres, like Dubbo...
and Wagga
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to form the Amalgamated Shearers Union of Australia in 1887. In 1894 this union amalgamated with the General Labourers Union, which had formed in 1891, to form the Australian Workers' Union.
The Queensland Shearers Union
Queensland Shearers Union
The Queensland Shearers Union was one the first Australian unions, founded in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The union was instrumental in the development of the 1891 Australian shearers' strike, seen today as a key development in the Australian labour movement...
, formed in 1887, and the Queensland Workers Union merged in 1891 to form the Amalgamated Workers Union of Queensland. In 1904 the AWUQ amalgamated with the AWU, to form a union with a combined membership of 34,000.
The AWU later absorbed a number of other unions in the pastoral, mining and timber industries notably the Amalgamated Workers Association of Queensland in 1913, and the Federated Mining Employees Association of Australia in 1917. Since these industries were the principal sources of Australia's wealth in the 19th century, the AWU soon became Australia's largest and most powerful union.
The defeat of the great 1891 shearers' strike
1891 Australian shearers' strike
350px|thumb|Shearers' strike camp, Hughenden, central Queensland, 1891.The 1891 shearers' strike is one of Australia's earliest and most important industrial disputes. Working conditions for sheep shearers in 19th century Australia weren't good. In 1891 wool was one of Australia's largest industries...
and the 1890 Maritime strike
1890 Australian maritime dispute
The 1890 Australian Maritime Dispute, commonly known as the 1890 Maritime Strike, was on a scale unprecedented in the Australian colonies to that point in time, causing political and social turmoil across all Australian colonies and in New Zealand, including the collapse of colonial governments in...
led the AWU to reject direct action and extremism, and it has been a force for moderation in the Australian union movement ever since. It was a firm opponent of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, the Communist Party of Australia
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
, NSW Premier Jack Lang and other radical forces in the Australian labour movement. For many years Communists were banned from AWU membership. In the 1930s the Communist Party launched a rival Pastoral Workers Industrial Union, but this failed to break the AWU's grip on its membership.
When the trade unions formed the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
following the defeat of the 1890s strikes, the AWU became a powerful influence in the party, particularly in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and to a lesser extent in the other states. Labor state governments were heavily influenced by AWU leaders such as Edward Grayndler
Edward Grayndler
Edward Grayndler was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1921 to 1934 and 1936 to 1943, and General Secretary of the Australian Workers Union from 1912 to 1941.The federal electorate of Grayndler in Sydney's metropolitan inner-west is named after him.-Notes:...
, Tom Dougherty
Tom Dougherty
Tom Dougherty was a baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1904. He is perhaps unique for his 'perfect' 1-0 winning record where he faced 6 batters over 2 innings without giving up any hits, walks or runs in the one game he pitched.-Notes:*...
and NSW AWU Secretary Charlie Oliver
Charlie Oliver
Charles Joshua Oliver was a New Zealand rugby union international who also represented his country in first-class cricket....
. Labor was in government in Queensland from 1915 to 1929 and from 1932 to 1957, and the AWU was able to exert considerable political influence through long-serving premiers such as William Forgan Smith
William Forgan Smith
William Forgan Smith , generally known as Forgan Smith, was Premier of the Australian state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadership, defence of states' rights and interest in state development make him something...
and Ned Hanlon.
The federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 led to the establishment of a federal arbitration system. The AWU strongly supported arbitration as mechanism of resolving industrial disputes without resorting to strike action. The Pastoral Industry Award, negotiated by the AWU, was the first federal award granted by the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. The AWU maintained its registration under state industrial systems and continues to participate in many state awards.
During the years since federation that the Australian industrial relations system has been dominated by the Court and its successors, the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission
Australian Industrial Relations Commission
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission, or AIRC , was a tribunal with powers under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. It was the central institution of Australian labour law...
, the AWU and its members were among that system's principal beneficiaries. The AWU remains a strong advocate of arbitration in the union movement. The AWU was not affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
for many years, preferring to maintain its independent relationship with the arbitration system.
With the shift in employment from the pastoral industries to the urban manufacturing and service sectors, the AWU's political influence and power declined as the pastoral areas became less significant in terms of employee numbers. This shift led to many rural electorate areas that were influenced by the AWU and workers falling to the conservative side of politics and in particular the National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
. The split in the Queensland ALP in 1957, which resulted in Labor being in opposition for 32 years, deprived the AWU of its greatest area of influence, although it remained influential in the long-serving (1941–65 and 1976–88) New South Wales Labor governments.
In 1993 the AWU amalgamated with the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing & Engineering Employees (itself an amalgamation of the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia and the Australasian Society of Engineers) to form the AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union. In 1995 the union reverted to using the name Australian Workers' Union.
In recent years the AWU has sought to modernise and to broaden its membership beyond its declining traditional base. Today it represents workers in the metals, aviation, oil and gas, mining, construction, food processing and retail industries, as well as its traditional base in the pastoral and mining areas. Its expansion into new areas has brought the AWU into conflict with some other unions, particularly the National Union of Workers
National Union of Workers
The National Union of Workers is a large Australian trade union formed in 1989.-History:The National Union of Workers of Australia was formed by a progressive amalgamation of unions from 1989 onwards in a time when all Australian unions were merging, with varying degrees of success...
and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union is Australia's main trade union in construction, forestry and furnishing products, mining and energy production....
.
The AWU is the most powerful union in the Labor Right
Labor Right
The Labor Right, or Labor Unity in some State branches, or Centre Unity in NSW, is the organised faction of the Australian Labor Party that tends to be more economically liberal and socially conservative than Labor Left....
faction of the Labor Party.
For many years the AWU published two newspapers, The Australian Worker in New South Wales and The Worker (founded in 1890) in Brisbane. Under the editorship of Henry Boote from 1916 to 1943 they were among the most influential union newspapers in Australia. The two papers were merged in 1974 and today The Australian Worker is published in a magazine format in association with Australian Consolidated Press
Australian Consolidated Press
ACP Magazines , a subsidiary of the Nine Entertainment Co., is an Australian media company. It publishes the Australian Women's Weekly and the Australian edition of Woman's Day....
.
Structure
The AWU is a national union made up of state, regional and industry-based branches. Each member of the AWU belongs to one of nine geographic or industry-based branches. Every four years AWU members elect branch and national officials: the National Secretary, National Assistant Secretary and National President. They also elect the National Executive and the Branch Executives which act as the Board of Directors for the union.The AWU's rules are registered with Fair Work Australia
Fair Work Australia
Fair Work Australia is the Australian industrial relations institution created by the Federal ALP Government's Fair Work Act 2009.. It commenced operation on 1 July 2009.-Functions:...
and its internal elections are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
.
The AWU is affiliated with the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
, the International Metalworkers' Federation
International Metalworkers' Federation
International Metalworkers' Federation is a global union federation of metalworkers' trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893...
, the International Union of Foodworkers and the International Transport Workers Federation. The AWU's National President is Bill Ludwig
Bill Ludwig
William Patrick Ludwig OAM, Australian trade union official, is National President and Queensland state secretary of the Australian Workers' Union , one of Australia's oldest and largest unions....
, and its National Secretary is Paul Howes
Paul Howes
Paul Howes is the National Secretary of The Australian Workers' Union, a position he has held since the age of 26. He is also Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and serves on a number of Government boards....
.
National Secretaries of the AWU
- William SpenceWilliam SpenceWilliam Guthrie Spence , Australian trade union leader and politician, played a leading role in the formation of both Australia's largest union, the Australian Workers Union, and the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:...
1894-1900 - Donald MacdonellDonald MacdonellDonald Macdonell was a political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Greenfield, near Aberchalder, in Inverness-shire, Scotland in 1778, the son of Alexander Macdonell, and came to Charlottenburgh Township in Upper Canada in 1792 as part of a group of Scottish settlers led by his father. He...
1900-1911 - Tom White 1911-12
- Edward GrayndlerEdward GrayndlerEdward Grayndler was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1921 to 1934 and 1936 to 1943, and General Secretary of the Australian Workers Union from 1912 to 1941.The federal electorate of Grayndler in Sydney's metropolitan inner-west is named after him.-Notes:...
1912-41 - Clarrie Fallon 1941-43
- Beecher Hay 1943-44
- Tom DoughertyTom DoughertyTom Dougherty was a baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1904. He is perhaps unique for his 'perfect' 1-0 winning record where he faced 6 batters over 2 innings without giving up any hits, walks or runs in the one game he pitched.-Notes:*...
1944-72 - Frank Mitchell 1972-83
- Gill Barr 1983-1987
- Errol Hodder 1987-91
- Michael ForshawMichael ForshawMichael George Forshaw , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian Senate for the state of New South Wales from May 1994 to June 2011, representing the Australian Labor Party....
1991-94 - Ian Cambridge 1994-96 (Jointly)
- Steve HarrisonSteve Harrison'- Since easily winning a special election in 1997, Republican incumbent Vito Fossella had long been reelected without trouble in this district, based in Staten Island and the southwest section of Brooklyn...
1994-1997 (Jointly) - Terry Muscat 1997-2001
- Bill ShortenBill ShortenWilliam Richard "Bill" Shorten is an Australian politician, the Member for Maribyrnong in the Australian Parliament, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Superannuation and Financial Services. He was the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Children's Services in the Rudd/Gillard Government...
2001-2007 - Paul HowesPaul HowesPaul Howes is the National Secretary of The Australian Workers' Union, a position he has held since the age of 26. He is also Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and serves on a number of Government boards....
2007 - current