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.

History

The AWU grew from a number of earlier unions, notably the Amalgamated Shearers Union, founded by William Spence and others in New South Wales in 1886, and the Queensland Shearers Union, formed in 1887. These unions amalgamated as the Australian Workers Union in 1894, and later absorbed a number of other unions in the pastoral, mining and timber industries. 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 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 Prty 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 these government were to a large extent controlled by the AWU 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 an alternative to strike action, and the Pastoral Industry Award, negotiated by the AWU, was the first federal award granted by the Commonwealth Arbitration Court.

During the eighty years that the Australian industrial relations system was dominated by the Court and its successor, the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, the AWU and its members were among that system's principal beneficiaries, and the AWU remained the strongest advocate of arbitration in the union movement. The AWU remained aloof from 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 central role in the economy declined, and its political power also declined as the pastoral areas became less important in Australian politics. The split in the Queensland ALP in 1957, which resulted in Labor being in opposition for 32 years, robbed 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 recent years the AWU has sought to modernise itself 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.

The AWU is the most powerful union in the Labor Unity 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.

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 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.

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 supervised by the Australian Electoral Commission. This has largely ended the regular (and sometimes justified) allegations of corruption which used to surround AWU 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 (who exercises a great deal of influence in the current Queensland Labor government), and its National Secretary is Bill Shorten .

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 1972-87
• Errol Hodder 1987-91
• Michael Forshaw 1991-97
• Terry Muscat 1997-2001
• Bill Shorten 2001-