Union History Blog
The Gurindji strike, 1966
August 16, 2023
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
The 1979 strike of the Union of Christmas Island Workers
August 1, 2023
In 1979 the Union of Christmas Island Workers (UCIW), made up predominantly of migrant workers…
60 years since the Yirrkala bark petition
July 27, 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article does include images of…
Remembering Simon Crean
June 29, 2023
The Australian union movement pays tribute to Simon Crean, former ACTU President and leader of…
Our Voice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unionists making history
June 27, 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this page does contain the images…
An introduction to the Australian Living Peace Museum
May 24, 2023
By Associate Professor Bobbie Oliver, the University of Western Australia The histories of the peace…
The right to paid union training leave – a short history
By Professor Anthony Forsyth, RMIT The establishment of the Trade Union Training Authority (TUTA) by…
The 1967 referendum
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article does include images of…
Remembering the Pilbara Strike, 1946-1949
April 27, 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this webpage does include the images…
Lessons from the campaign for the eight hour day
April 24, 2023
By Professor Sean Scalmer, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne….
Remembering William Cooper
March 23, 2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Readers are advised that this page does include images of…
Laurie Carmichael – a legendary unionist
July 26, 2022
A guest post by Ted Clayton. Ted is the author of an award-winning thesis in…
60th Anniversary of the Labour History Society
Guest post by Bobbie Oliver (Federal Vice President ASSLH; President of Perth Branch, ASSLH). 2022…
The first Sydney Mardi Gras – and the hidden history of LGBTIQA+ unionists!
June 22, 2022
On Friday 24 June we celebrate the anniversary of the first Sydney Mardi Gras, which…
Tribute to Tom McDonald: a lifetime winning for workers
May 24, 2022
‘When it comes to the living standards of working people I know this: without Tom…
The origins of May Day
April 27, 2022
The first of May has long been a day of celebration for the international workers’…
21 April 1856 – Melbourne Stonemasons take action for the 8-Hour Day
April 14, 2022
On 21 April in 1856, building workers in Melbourne took strike action and won the…
MUA: Here to Stay! The 1998 Waterfront Dispute
April 1, 2022
In April of 1998, the Patrick Stevedores corporation sacked all of its stevedoring workers in…
The power of union learning: a snapshot from the ‘70s
March 30, 2022
A guest post by Alice Garner. In 1977, hundreds of shop stewards, from every corner…
Australian unions win maternity leave – 1979
March 7, 2022
Trade unions have a long and proud history of campaigning for parental leave to support…
Remembering Edna Ryan: Champion of Equality
February 9, 2022
After a lifetime campaigning for equality for women workers, Edna Ryan passed away on 10…
The campaign for asbestos justice and workers’ compensation
February 7, 2022
February 8, 2007, was a major milestone in the ongoing campaign by workers and their…
How unions helped build Medicare
January 30, 2022
Medicare wouldn’t exist without the union movement. On 1 February 1984, Medicare came into operation. …
1936 Maritime Strike by Torres Strait Islander Workers
January 12, 2022
In January 1936, a Maritime Strike was launched by by Torres Strait Islander workers. This…
The 1972 Equal Pay case
December 10, 2021
Today we celebrate an important milestone in the union campaign for gender equity: the 1972…
The Metal Workers win the 38-hour week
December 7, 2021
On 8 December 1981, unionists in the metal industry voted to end a long industrial…
“Pig Iron Bob” and the 1938 Port Kembla strike
November 11, 2021
On 15 November 1938, dockers at Port Kembla (near Wollongong), members of the Waterside Workers’…
The Harvester Judgement and the basic wage
November 4, 2021
On 8 November 1907 HB Higgins, the President of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Court,…
Brian Manning: a life in the struggle
November 2, 2021
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
Why Nelson Mandela thanked the Australian union movement
October 25, 2021
On the 25th of October, 1990, Nelson Mandela delivered a thank you speech to the…
The 1916 campaign against conscription
October 13, 2021
On the 28th of October, 1916, the union-led campaign against conscription for overseas service won…
Zelda D’Aprano’s Equal Pay protest
On 21 October 1969, legendary union activist Zelda D’Aprano chained herself to the doors of…
West Gate Bridge collapse
Today we commemorate one of the worst industrial disasters in Australia’s history: the collapse of…
1963: The ACTU backs the campaign for wage equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers
September 28, 2021
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
Henry Lawson: the workers’ poet
Today we are commemorating Henry Lawson, who in the late nineteenth century was a superstar…
The ACTU’s 1941 Equal Pay Conference
On 2 September 1941, unionists gathered at Melbourne’s Trades Hall for a special conference. In…
Jennie George becomes the first woman elected ACTU President
In September 1995, Jennie George became the first woman to be elected as President of…
How unions won the weekend
September 7, 2021
Did you know that workers in their unions had to take action to win the…
A short history of unions taking action for equal pay!
August 31, 2021
31 August is Equal Pay Day – a day that draws attention to the ongoing…
Union solidarity with East Timor
August 27, 2021
In 1999, East Timor was in flames. On August 30, the Timorese people voted overwhelmingly…
The Gurindji strike, 1966
August 20, 2021
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
Stories of Hope & Change: Muriel Heagney
August 17, 2021
Times are tough right now, and it can be easy to lose hope. But Australia’s…
1890 Maritime Strike
August 12, 2021
The largest strike in pre-Federation Australia began on the 15th of August, 1890 – the…
The ACTU backs Noonkanbah protests
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post may contain…
From the archives – the ACTU’s 60th birthday
July 26, 2021
At its 1987 Congress, the ACTU celebrated its 60th birthday. Alongside union leaders such as…
1971 day of protest for retired workers
July 20, 2021
On the 21st of July we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ACTU’s 1971 Social…
The 1976 strike to defend universal healthcare
July 9, 2021
Did you know that in 1976 the union movement led one of the largest strikes…
Australia’s unions v. Frank Sinatra
Did you ever hear about the time that Frank Sinatra, one of the most famous…
The history of the minimum wage
June 30, 2021
Where was the first place in the world to introduce a minimum wage? In the…
The 1978 Mardi Gras
June 18, 2021
The 1970s were a really tough time for LGBTIQA+ people in Australia. To be honest…
How unions helped build Superannuation
Why are unions so insistent on defending superannuation – and why are some right-wing politicians…
The 1957 Palm Island strike
June 9, 2021
In June, 1957, seven Indigenous men and their families on Palm Island were arrested at…
The 1891 Shearers’ Strike
May 20, 2021
This week we remember the Shearers’ Strike of 1891, a defining moment for the labour…
Remembering Bob Hawke
May 12, 2021
Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister and President of the ACTU, passed away on the 16th…
Muriel Heagney’s 60 year campaign for Equal Pay
Today we commemorate the life of Muriel Heagney, a union hero and long-term campaigner for…
Why do we celebrate May Day?
April 28, 2021
The first of May has long been a day of celebration for the international workers’…
1856: the Eight-Hour Day strike
April 21, 2021
On 21 April in 1856, building workers in Melbourne took strike action and won the…
MUA: Here to Stay!
April 7, 2021
In 1998 the Howard Government and the anti-union Patricks Corporation took on the Maritime Union…
The long campaign by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers for equal pay – and the 1966 decision
March 11, 2021
There is a long history of Indigenous workers being denied equal pay in Australia. Before…
The Engineering Union wins the 44 hour week – 1927
February 23, 2021
Today we are remembering the Amalgamated Engineering Union’s (AEU) campaign to win the 44-hour week…
The 1985 SEQEB dispute
February 10, 2021
Today we are revisiting the dark moment in Australian history in 1985 when the Queensland…
Victory in the ASU’s campaign for Equal Pay
January 28, 2021
Today we are celebrating the campaign for Equal Pay for community sector workers led by…
1912 Brisbane general strike
January 20, 2021
Can you imagine being fired from your job simply for wearing a union badge? That’s…
The 1936 Maritime Strike by Torres Strait Islander workers
January 12, 2021
Today we remember the beginning of the 1936 Maritime Strike by Torres Strait Islander workers….
The campaign for paid parental leave
January 7, 2021
For more than thirty years Australian unions campaigned for a paid parental leave scheme. Before…
The 1972 Equal Pay decision
December 15, 2020
In December of 1972, the Arbitration Commission handed down its historic decision in favour of…
Unions win the 38-hour work week
December 7, 2020
In December 1981, a union campaign led to metal workers winning the 38-hour working week….
The Eureka Stockade
December 2, 2020
Today we commemorate the Eureka Stockade – the rebellion on the goldfields in 1854. In…
Your Rights at Work victorious!
November 24, 2020
On the 24th of November 2007, the union movement delivered a massive defeat to the…
Remembering Ted Grayndler
October 9, 2020
Today we remember the significant contribution made to the Australian union movement by Ted Grayndler…
Jennie George is elected ACTU President
September 28, 2020
On the 29th of September 1995, Jennie George became the first woman to be elected…
Albert Monk: a lifetime of unionism
September 14, 2020
Today we are remembering Albert Monk, who served as both Secretary and President of the…
Remembering Jean Daley
August 24, 2020
Today we remember the long-time union activist and leader Jean Daley, who was born…
Alison Cranley: teacher and union leader.
August 7, 2020
Alison Cranley was a dedicated teacher and passionate union leader. Alison was born in the…
Who was Bella Guerin?
July 24, 2020
Bella Guerin is best known as the first woman to graduate from an Australian university….
Union campaigns for workplace health and safety
July 17, 2020
Throughout our history, Australian Unions have always campaigned against unsafe and unhealthy working conditions and…
Unions and the shorter working week
July 9, 2020
Unions have always campaigned for working people’s right to a life outside of work to…
When was Australia’s first nation-wide union meeting?
July 2, 2020
The first nation-wide meeting of unions in Australia took place in October 1879. It was…
Emma Miller – remembering a union hero
June 25, 2020
Today we remember the legendary union activist and leader Emma Miller, who was born…
The 1969 Equal Pay case
June 16, 2020
In June 1969 the long union campaign for equal pay for working women took…
How unions won the right to annual leave
May 30, 2020
Annual leave can seem like a right that has always been around – but this…
How unions helped create Medicare
May 29, 2020
The union movement has always campaigned for laws and policies that will protect the health…
Remembering Bob Hawke
May 18, 2020
On the 16th of May 2020, we remember former Prime Minister and ACTU President, Bob…
Muriel Heagney: champion of equal pay
May 14, 2020
Today we commemorate the life of Muriel Heagney, a union hero and long-term campaigner for…
The 8 Hour Day
April 21, 2020
On 21 April in 1856, building workers in Melbourne took strike action and won the…