United Workers Union
 | |
| Predecessor | United Voice National Union of Workers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
Members | 156,000+[1][2] |
| Website | unitedworkers |
The United Workers Union (UWU) is an Australian trade union. Described as the biggest blue-collar union in Australia, the UWU covers more than 150,000 workers within over 45 industries, including warehousing, defence, hospitality, health, early childhood education, aged care, logistics & supermarket supply, cleaning, security, farming, manufacturing, and market research.[3][4] The union is the result of a merger of two unions: United Voice and the National Union of Workers. It’s a member of the Labor Left.
The union is unique in its structure, having only one centralised federal branch which is not splintered into separate state branches.[5]
History
In 2018, plans began to merge the two the unions United Voice and National Union of Workers.[6] In June 2019, the Fair Work Commission approved a vote on the proposed merger between the two unions held in August 2019.[7] On 30 August 2019 the Australian Electoral Commission declared the result of the vote, with just over 95% of members supporting the amalgamation.[8][9][10]
Governance and structure
The organisation operates as a national structure and does not have divisions or branches. Governance of the organisation is vested in a National Convention of approximately 500 Delegates, from industries and workplaces across Australia, elected by all financial members. A meeting of the convention is held every 4 years.[11]
Between meetings of the National Convention its powers are exercised by a Member Council, consisting of 50 rank and file Councillors and the National Executive. Both the Councillors and the National Executive are elected by and from the convention.[11]
The Committee of Management of the organisation is called the National Executive. It consists between 12 and 24 members, including the National President, National Secretary and 4 National Vice-Presidents.[11]
Elections for all office positions within the organisation are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission.[11]
The term of office for all offices is 4 years.[11]
Tim Kennedy, former National Secretary of the NUW, is the National Secretary, and Jo-anne Schofield, former National Secretary of United Voice, is the National President.[12]
Politics
During the 2020 recession, the UWU pushed for "a universal income of $740 a week" and a "jobs guarantee".[13]
References
- ^ Hannan, Ewin (3 September 2019). "Retail fears chaos in super union merger". The Australian. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ Marin-Guzman, David (7 June 2019). "New mega-union fit for 'precarious world of late capitalism'". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ Marin-Guzman, David. "Workers vote to create new mega union". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ "Who we are". United Workers Union. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ Moase, Godfrey (29 May 2019). "Aussie Rules: Trade Unions and Capitalist Realism". The Social Review. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ Patty, Anna (16 October 2018). "Second major union merger proposed for next year". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "'Mega Union' tipped with United Voice close to merger with National Union of Workers". thesector.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ August, Friday 30; 2019. "Members vote in favour of United Workers Union". United Voice Australia. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Marin-Guzman, David (30 August 2019). "Workers vote to create new mega union". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ "Union members give merger thumbs-up - 9News". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Commission, Fair Work (2019-11-11). "United Workers' Union (UWU)". FWC Main Site. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- ^ Schneiders, Ben. "Big union merger vows to tackle wage theft, redistribute wealth, shift Labor left". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Schneiders, Ben (26 March 2020). "Key union pushes for universal income of $740 a week, guaranteed jobs". The Age. Retrieved 26 March 2020.