The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), or more fully the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing sector, as well as associated industries, and is affiliated to the
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and l ...
.
The union is organised into six state branches, as well as four divisions, representing different industries or occupational groups: the Manufacturing Division, the Food and Confectionery Division, the Vehicle Division and the Printing Division.
History
The Amalgamated Metal Workers Union (AMWU) was formed in 1972 with the amalgamation of three metal trade unions - the
Boilermakers and Blacksmiths Society of Australia (BBS), the
Sheet Metal Working Industrial Union of Australia
Sheet or Sheets may refer to:
* Bed sheet, a rectangular piece of cloth used as bedding
* Sheet of paper, a flat, very thin piece of paper
* Sheet metal, a flat thin piece of metal
* Sheet (sailing), a line, cable or chain used to control the c ...
(SMWU) and the
Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU). At its formation the AMWU had a membership of 171,000, making it the largest organisation in Australia by membership.
In 1979, the
Federated Shipwrights and Ship Constructors Union of Australia amalgamated with the AMWU, which changed its name to the Amalgamated Metal Workers and Shipwrights Union (AMWSU). When the
Federated Moulders’ (Metals) Union amalgamated in 1983, the union's name changed slightly to the Amalgamated Metals Foundry & Shipwrights’ Union, but in 1985 reverted to be the Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union. By 1987 the union's membership had declined slightly to 163,400.
During the 1980s the AMWU played a pivotal role in securing the support of the left wing of the Australian union movement for the
Prices and Incomes Accord
The Prices and Incomes Accord was an agreement between the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Labor Party government of Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer (later Prime Minister) Paul Keating in 1983. Employers were not par ...
, which involved unions agreeing to restrict their demands for wage increases in exchange for the federal government implementing policies to advance the 'social wage', including universal health insurance, investment in education and social welfare.
In 1991 the AMWU amalgamated with the
Association of Draughting Supervisory & Technical Employees (ADSTE) created the Metals and Engineering Workers’ Union. Two years later a further amalgamation with the
Vehicle Builders Employees’ Federation of Australia resulted in the Automotive Metals & Engineering Union. In 1994 the union merged with the Confectionery Workers' and Food Preservers' Union, itself a recent amalgamation of the
Food Preservers' Union of Australia and the
Confectionery Workers' Union of Australia, to form the Automotive Food Metals and Engineering Union. Finally, the
Printing and Kindred Industries Union amalgamated to form the printing division of the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union.
During the 1990s and 2000s membership of the AMWU declined dramatically, reflecting the rapid decline of the manufacturing sector in Australia, falling from 200,000 in 1995 to 157,000 in 2005.
[ Losses then accelerated, membership more than halving over the following decade to 68,008 in 2017.
]
National Secretaries
:1973: Jack Garland
:1981: Jack Kidd
:1988: George Campbell
:1996: Doug Cameron
:2008: Dave Oliver
:2012: Paul Bastian
:2020: Steve Murphy
Political Activity
The AMWU is one of the most powerful unions in the Labor Left
The Labor Left, also known as the Progressive Left or Socialist Left, is political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It competes with the more economically liberal Labor Right faction.
The Labor Left operates autonomously in each s ...
faction of the Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...
. During the 2010 Australian federal election
The 2010 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 August 2010 to elect members of the 43rd Parliament of Australia. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard won a second term against the Op ...
the CFMEU and AMWU donated a total of $60,000 to the Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to:
Current political parties
*Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens''
*Greens of Andorra
* Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Greens of Burkina
* Greens (Greece)
* Greens of Montenegro
*Greens of Serbia
*Gree ...
.
Further reading
* Reeves, Andrew and Andrew Dettmer (eds.) ''Organise, educate, control: the AMWU in Australia, 1852-2012''. Clayton, Victoria: Monash University Publishing, 2013. .
References
External links
*
Australian Trade Union Archive entry for AMWU
{{Authority control
Trade unions in Australia
Manufacturing trade unions
Trade unions established in 1972
1972 establishments in Australia