Union History Blog
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
May 12, 2021
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…
How Is Unemployment Deliberate?
March 1, 2021
In our latest edition of Big Facts, author and Guardian columnist Van Badham unpacks the question, and examines what the current crisis can tell us about the spectre of unemployment.
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…