The Australian Workers Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s, and currently has more than 130,000 members. It has exercised a powerful influence on the Australian trade union movement, and on the Australian Labor Party, particularly at state level, throughout its history. A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Pastoralism is a form of cultivation, such as Agriculture and Horticulture. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ...

Image File history File links Awu. ...

History

The AWU grew from a number of earlier unions, notably the Australasian Shearers Union, founded by William Spence 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. William Guthrie Spence (7 August 1846 - 13 December 1926), Australian trade union leader and politician, played a leading role in the formation of both Australias largest union, the Australian Workers Union, and the Australian Labor Party. ... Creswick town in Victoria, Australia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Bourke is a town and Local Government Area in the north of New South Wales, Australia. ... Wagga Wagga Civic Centre Location of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales (red) Wagga Wagga (pronounced Wogga Wogga) is a city in New South Wales, Australia. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

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. 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1904 (MCMIV) is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ...

The defeat of the great shearers' and maritime unions strikes in the 1890s led the AWU to reject direct action and extremism, and it has been a force for moderation - its critics would say conservatism - 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. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It contends that all workers should be united within a single union as a class and the wage system abolished. ... This article is about the historical Communist Party of Australia, dissolved in 1991. ... John Thomas Lang (December 21, 1876 - September 27, 1975) was a prominent Australian politician during the early twentieth century. ...

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 Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... Motto: Cygnis Insignis (Distinguished by its swans) Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Governor Premier Const. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... -1... 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Forgan Smith (1887-1953), was Premier of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. ... Edward Michael Hanlon (1887-1952), was Premier of Queensland from 1946 to 1952. ...

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. 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

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 Industral 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. The Industrial Relations Act 1988 established the Australian Industrial Relations Commission which replaced the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. ... The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak national body representing workers in Australia. ...

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. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1993 the AWU amalgamated with the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing & Engineering Employees (formally the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia) to form the AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union. In 1995 the union reverted to using the name Australian Workers' Union.[1]

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 National Union of Workers is a large Australian trade union. ... The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) is Australias main trade union in construction, forestry and forest products, mining and energy production. ...

The AWU is the most powerful union in the Labor Right faction of the Labor Party, and its current National Secretary, Bill Shorten, is expected to stand for the House of Representatives at the next election. Some speak of him as a future Labor Prime Minister. The Labor Right is the organised faction of the Australian Labor Party (the Right) that makes up the more economically liberal and socially conservative members of the ALP. The Right claims to represent the social democratic (as opposed to socialist) element within the party. ... William Richard Shorten (born 1967), Australian trade union official, is National Secretary and Victorian state secretary of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), one of Australias oldest and largest unions. ... Australian House of Representatives chamber Entrance to the House of Representatives The Australian House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the Parliament of Australia. ... The current (25th) Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard (sitting, fifth from left), with his Cabinet, 1999 The office of Prime Minister is in practice the most powerful political office in the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

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. 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Australian Consolidated Press (ACP), a member of Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. ...

Structure

The AWU is a federation of state, regional and industry-based branches. Each member of the AWU belong to one of twelve 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 the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and its internal elections are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. This has largely ended the regular (and sometimes justified) allegations of corruption which used to surround AWU elections. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) is a tribunal established under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth). ... The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections. ...

The AWU is affiliated with the 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 Bill Shorten. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the peak national body representing workers in Australia. ... International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) is a global union federation of metalworkers trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893. ... The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) is a global union federation of transport workers trade unions, founded in 1896. ... William Patrick Ludwig OAM, Australian trade union official, is National President and Queensland state secretary of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), one of Australias oldest and largest unions. ... William Richard Shorten (born 1967), Australian trade union official, is National Secretary and Victorian state secretary of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), one of Australias oldest and largest unions. ...

National Secretaries of the AWU

• William Spence 1894-1900
• Donald Macdonell 1900-1911
• Tom White 1911-12
• Edward Grayndler 1912-41
• Clarrie Fallon 1941-43
• Beecher Hay 1943-44
• Tom Dougherty 1944-72
• Frank Mitchell 1972-83
• Gill Barr 1983-1987
• Errol Hodder 1987-91
• Michael Forshaw 1991-94
• Ian Cambridge 1994-96 (Jointly)
• Steve Harrison 1994-1997 (Jointly)
• Terry Muscat 1997-2001
• Bill Shorten 2001-

William Guthrie Spence (7 August 1846 - 13 December 1926), Australian trade union leader and politician, played a leading role in the formation of both Australias largest union, the Australian Workers Union, and the Australian Labor Party. ... Michael George Forshaw (born 11 January 1952), Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian Senate for the state of New South Wales since May 1994, representing the Australian Labor Party. ... William Richard Shorten (born 1967), Australian trade union official, is National Secretary and Victorian state secretary of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), one of Australias oldest and largest unions. ...

External link

• Official Website