The Transport Workers' Union of Australia (TWU) is a

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 ...

with members throughout Australia. It has 5 main branches based in:

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding township#Aust ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

;

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

;

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

;

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

; and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

. The TWU is a union based on the

organising model The organizing model, as the term refers to trade unions (and sometimes other social-movement organizations), is a broad conception of how those organizations should recruit, operate, and advance the interests of their members, though the specific ...

. It is largely progressive and militant. The TWU is affiliated with 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 ...

and the

International Transport Workers' Federation The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2017 the ITF had 677 member organizations in 149 countries, representing a combined membership ...

. In South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, the union is affiliated with the

Labor Right The Labor Right, also known as Modern Labor, is a political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at the national level that is characterised by being more economically conservative and, in some cases, more socially conservative. The Labor ...

. The TWU is considered to be one of the most powerful unions in the Labor Right 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 ...

. The history of the Transport Workers' Union is partly a story of the enormous technological and economic changes to the ways people and goods have been transported across the history of this country. Its main themes are belief that the free market cannot be relied upon to create a safe, efficient and viable transport industry; and that transport workers have stood together to better their pay and conditions.

History

Background

In the 1880s, small independent unions of drivers sprang up in the colonies of Australia. Many of these unions were short-lived. It was an extremely competitive industry. A self-employed carrier could set himself up with a basic horse and cart for a relatively small sum of money, and drivers, too, were in chronic oversupply. Conditions were poor and wage-earning drivers worked very long hours for low rates of pay. Much of the available work was casual and seasonal. After the turn of the century, small specialised transport unions were established throughout Australia. These included separate unions of milk carters, bread carters, and fuel and fodder carters. Numbers of wage-earning drivers increased in the major cities during this period as carrying firms grew in size, stimulated by growth in manufacturing. Wharves and railway depots were also important sources of work for drivers. By 1903 it was reported that work had become more stable and less casual. However, conditions were still poor. Drivers could be expected to work up to 19 hours a day. Wages were generally between 25 and 35 shillings a week.

Early history

Growth in the transport sector provided a stimulus for carters' unions to reorganise themselves to make them a stronger force. This led to the federal registration of the Federated Carters and Drivers' Industrial Union in 1906. This union is the direct predecessor of today's TWU. While other parts of the economy experienced difficult times in the years 1914–1939, rapid technological change made road transport a dynamic and rapidly expanding industry. There was an explosion in numbers of commercial motor vehicles in Australia during the 1920s. Advances in truck construction and decreasing costs made road transport a serious competitor to the railways for the first time. These changes put the union in a stronger position to fight for shorter working hours and other improved conditions. However, the union itself had to adapt and make the transition from the horse-drawn era to the new world of trucks and cars. In 1925, representatives of the Federated Carters and Drivers' Industrial Union, the Trolley, Draymen and Carters' Union and the Motor Transport and Chauffeurs' Association met to plan the establishment of a new union capable of representing all persons employed in connection with the transport of people or goods by road. This led to the Amalgamated Road Transport Workers Union becoming federally registered in 1928. Despite these attempts to create a stronger organisation, the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

hit the union hard. The

branch survived the depression best. Yet even there, award conditions couldn't survive the pressure of mass unemployment. It was estimated that many workers had their conditions returned to those of the 1880s. In Victoria casual employment had again become the norm with gangs of men waiting outside yards all day trying to get work by the hour.

Recovery and growth

The road transport sector picked up again after the depression. During this period the union's strongest sector was among oil company drivers. In 1937 these drivers were the first in the union to win a week's annual leave—benefits which flowed on to the wider membership in 1940. In 1937 the union was granted the right to cover persons engaged in connection with the transport of passengers or freight by air as well as by road. These members—particularly baggage handlers and porters—quickly became a key sector within the Union. Their bargaining power won improvements in pay and conditions which in turn benefited union members in other sectors. To reflect the change in coverage, in 1938 the union adopted its current name, the Transport Workers' Union of Australia.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

saw major changes within the road transport industry, with acute labour shortages resulting in long hours and high wages for drivers. After the war the road transport industry was rationalised as smaller operators were forced out of the business by larger, more efficient firms. These larger companies introduced new methods of work, using specialised bulk tankers, forklifts and pallets to lower costs and increase

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

. The road transport industry grew strongly after the war and the sophistication and size of trucks increased. By the end of the 1960s, large articulated trucks accounted for 56% of all tonne-kilometres performed by road transport. By this time waves of takeovers had reorganised the industry with small local firms being taken over by large national transport companies. By 1966 five conglomerates dominated the industry –

Ansett Transport Industries Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into admini ...

Thomas Nationwide Transport Thomas Nationwide Transport, commonly known by its TNT acronym, and in its later years as TNT Limited, was an Australian logistics and transport company. Founded in 1946, it was taken over by KPN in 1996 and in 1998 became part of the TNT Pos ...

, Mayne Nickless,

Brambles Limited Brambles Limited is an Australian company that specialises in the pooling of unit-load equipment, pallets, crates and containers. It is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. History Brambles traces its history to 1875, when Walter Bram ...

and

Alltrans Alltrans was an Australian logistics company. Established in 1950 by Peter Abeles and George Rockey with two second-hand trucks, its first contract was in Broken Hill.Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission recognised the changing nature of drivers' work in the road transport industry. Heavier loads, the increased use of high-powered, multi-axled articulated vehicles, and the higher levels of skill and productivity required of drivers led to labour shortages and provided the opportunity for the TWU to win large wage increases. Seeking to minimise their costs, many large companies increased their use of owner drivers to avoid paying award rates of pay to employee drivers. These subcontractors, increasingly discovered they lacked the bargaining power of employee drivers. Forced to negotiate individually with the large prime contractors, they found themselves progressively squeezed throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s as operating costs rose far more than rates. For the first time since the 1880s, owner drivers joined the union in large numbers. They had quickly found the TWU was the only serious industrial force that could stand up to the transport conglomerates. From the early 1970s, the TWU became a cohesive, centrally directed force with a substantial presence, actively recruiting members and training job delegates. The early 1980s were a time of strong gains in wages and the TWU was for a time the pacesetter, gaining higher wage increases for its members than any other union. Ground was lost, however, as the recession of 1982–83 took hold. This downturn stimulated a major restructuring of the Australian transport industry as retailers and manufacturers turned to a system of contract distribution rather than maintain their own truck fleets or engage owner drivers. Contract distribution involved total responsibility for the pick-up, warehousing, distribution and delivery of goods. Large companies used economies of scale, mechanised and computerised warehouses and close control of their workforce, to reduce costs and the number of employees and vehicles required. Restructuring such as this has led to considerable changes to the work of employee drivers. In 1987 the TWU amalgamated with ''Motor Transport and Chauffeurs Association'', which gave the union coverage of the private bus industry in Victoria.

Recent history

When the conservative Howard Government came into power in 1996, the TWU faced new challenges. The focus of membership retention turned to a more organising focus as compulsory membership was made illegal under the ''

Workplace Relations Act 1996 The ''Workplace Relations Act 1996'' was an Australian law regarding workplace conditions and rights passed by the Howard government after it came into power in 1996. It replaced the previous Labor Government's '' Industrial Relations Act 1988 ...

''. Before this time, union members and organisers could pressure non-union truck drivers against entering union-dominated workplaces. Membership declined rapidly, but picked up in following years—almost every state increasing membership by 2004. Targeted recruitment and retention campaigns proved successful for the union, as well as increased co-operation between state branches. In 2006, Federal Secretary John Allan resigned. He was replaced by NSW Secretary Tony Sheldon as Acting Federal Secretary. The head office location was moved from Melbourne to Sydney. National Secretary Sheldon led the union to success in the 'Safe Rates' campaign with the passing of legislation to establish the

Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) was an independent body established by the Gillard government in 2012 to oversee the road transport industry in Australia. The jurisdiction of the RSRT is set out in the Road Safety Remuneration Act ...

in 2012. The union continues industrial action in the wake of the

2011 Qantas industrial disputes The 2011 Qantas industrial disputes were a series of disputes between the Australian airline Qantas and a number of trade unions during much of 2011 and the start of 2012. The disputes commenced in late 2010, when Qantas and unions commenced b ...

Industries covered

The union has coverage throughout 47 sectors of the transport industry including: * Road transport (passenger and freight) * Aviation (ground services, catering, guest services, cabin crew, pilots, airfreight and cargo, refuellers) * Oil, fuel and gas * Armoured vehicle drivers, guards and staff * Waste and recycling industry workers * Forklift drivers and dock hands * Clerical staff in the transport industry * Bus and coach drivers * On-demand rideshare and food delivery riders and drivers Whilst technically having wide coverage, the TWU largely focuses on road transport, warehouse distribution, airline operations, bus drivers and the waste industry. The TWU's coverage of gas industry staff extends from its amalgamation with The Federated Gas Employees Industrial Union (FGEIU) in 1997.

is the only state to have an extensive membership in this industry as it was the base of the FGIEU. It is the only state to have a gas industry sub-branch.

Notable people

Anthony Vincent Sheldon (born 26 August 1961) is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served as a Senator for New South Wales since 2019. He was previously a senior figure in the Transport Workers Union (TWU), serving as state secretary (1999–2008) and national secretary (2006–2019).

Glenn Sterle Glenn Sterle (born 3 January 1960) is an Australian politician. A former trade union organiser, he has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since 2005, representing the state of Western Australia. Career Trucking busi ...

(born 3 January 1960) is an Australian politician. A former trade union organiser, he has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since 2005, representing the state of Western Australia.

References

Bibliography

* * * * TWU NSW Branch. ''Proud To Be A TWU Member: Transport Workers Tell Their Stories'', 1999

External links

National Office website

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory Branch website

Queensland Branch website

South Australia/Northern Territory Branch website

Victoria/Tasmania Branch website

Western Australia Branch website
{{Authority control Transport trade unions in Australia International Transport Workers' Federation 1906 establishments in Australia Trade unions established in 1906