Australian Council of Trade Unions

The Australian Council of Trade Unions ( ACTU ) ( German: Council of Australian trade unions) is the largest umbrella organization of unionized workers in Australia. Of the approximately 300 unions in Australia 46 individual unions are member of the ACTU, which represents approximately 1.8 million trade unionists.

History

The ACTU was established in 1927 as the Australian Council of Trade Unions and was the first trade union organization, which was created on the principle of national overarching umbrella organization ( One Big Union ). The formation of such labor organization in Australia was first propagated by two unions in 1911 by the Australian Workers ' Union ( AWU ), then the largest single union, and by the Australian Workers Industrial Union of Australia ( WIUA ). While the AWU entered for a balance of interests of labor and capital in the form of judicial arbitration commissions, represented the class struggle WIUA positions. This divergence prevented at the time that an umbrella organization of unions out could be hived off. Only the government of Stanley Bruce founded in 1927 the Australian Industrial Relations Commission as a national organization of trade unions. In this organization, especially industrial unions were then merged.

Precursor of umbrella organizations at the regional level in Australia were the Victorian Trades Hall Council, which was created in 1856, Melbourne Trades Hall Committee, and laboratory Council of New South Wales, which originated in 1870 and the Sydney Trades and Labor Council as well as the Inter- Colonial Trade Union Congress of in 1879.

After the Second World War there were more union umbrella organizations for office and administrative employees of the private sector and for employees of the government, which were integrated in 1981 by the ATCU.

The ACTU had and has strong links with the Australian Labor Party (ALP ), for example, the former ACTU president Bob Hawke Party Leader of the ALP and later became prime minister of Australia and numerous members of the ATCU are represented in the parliaments.

Organizational structure

The ACTU holds a congress every three years, with about 800 delegates from member organizations from, on the 60 members in the ACTU, a president, two vice presidents, a secretary and an assistant secretary are elected. The regional Trades and Labour Councils select delegates from from among their regional unions.

Objectives

The objectives of the ATCU are: securing and retaining jobs, job security, gender equality, reduction of working hours, entitlement to paid leave, better working conditions, development of a general pension system.

Recent past

In the national election of 2007, the ATCU occurred mainly responsible for ensuring that the rights of the workers who had limited the government of the Liberal Party of John Howard, will be redeemed. The campaign was conducted under the title Your Rights at Work since 2005. In 2008, the ACTU dedicated for paid maternity leave for 18 weeks in duration, the Australian trade unions called for 30 years. The federal government followed this requirement and since 1 January 2011, this law came into force on maternity protection.

Member organizations

  • Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia
  • Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union
  • Australian Education Union
  • Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers
  • Australian and International Pilots Association
  • Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association
  • Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
  • Australian Maritime Officers Union
  • Australian Nursing Federation
  • Australian Professional Footballers' Association
  • Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union
  • Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation
  • Australian Services Union
  • Australian Workers ' Union
  • Australian Writers' Guild
  • Blind Workers Union of Victoria
  • Breweries & Bottle yards Employees Industrial Union of Workers WA
  • Civil Air Operations Officers Association of Australia
  • Club Managers Association Australia
  • Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of Australia
  • Community and Public Sector Union
  • Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
  • Finance Sector Union
  • Flight Attendants ' Association of Australia
  • Funeral and Allied Industries Union of NSW
  • Health Services Union
  • Independent Education Union of Australia
  • Maritime Union of Australia
  • Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
  • National Tertiary Education Union
  • National Union of Workers
  • Police Federation of Australia
  • Rugby League Professionals Association
  • Salaried Pharmacists Association of WA Union of Workers
  • Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association
  • Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia
  • Transport Workers Union of Australia
  • Union of Christmas Island Workers
  • United Firefighters Union of Australia
  • United Voice
  • Western Australian Prison Officers Union of Workers
  • Woolclassers Association of Australia
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