UnionsWA
Encyclopedia
Name changes
Originally known as the Trades & Labor Council, Perth from 1891, the organisation has gone through several name changes including the Western Australian Branch of the Australian Labour Federation in 1907; Australian Labor Party (WA) in 1927; Trade Unions Industrial Council (ALP, WA) in 1947. In 1963 the organisation was deregistered and a new organisation called Trades & Labor Council of Western Australia came into being until the most recent name change in April 2000 to UnionsWA.The latest name change coincided with the dedication of a new Perth Trades Hall
Perth Trades Hall
The Perth Trades Hall is the Trades Hall building in Perth used by the Western Australian trade union movement for meetings, offices, social and educational events, and the location of the Trades and Labour Council , now known as the UnionsWA...
on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
, 2000.
Structure
UnionsWA is the state's peak union body representing over 40 affiliated unions and their members. Delegates meet monthly to consider issues affecting the working conditions of Western Australians and determine strategies to improve them. The offices of Unions WA are located at 445 Hay Street, Perth with the Secretary being Simone McGurk. UnionsWA implements Australian Council of Trade UnionsAustralian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
policy within Western Australia, representing the state union movement on a statewide, national and international basis.
Originally formed on the premise that collective bargaining has more weight than individual cases. Unfortunately for all concerned it has become infiltrated with self interest mobs that use standover tactics to achieve their goals. Megalomaniacs thrive in these conditions as does the apathy of the worker. A more exact term, and one which they use, is "Union Bosses". I.e. someone you must answer to.
See also
- Australian labour movementAustralian labour movementThe Australian labour movement has its origins in the early 19th century and includes both trade unions and political activity. At its broadest, the movement can be defined as encompassing the industrial wing, the unions in Australia, and the political wing, the Australian Labor Party and minor...
- Trades HallTrades HallA Trades Hall is an English term for a building where trade unions meet together, or work from cooperatively, as a local representative organisation, known as a Labor Council or Trades Hall Council...
- Perth Trades HallPerth Trades HallThe Perth Trades Hall is the Trades Hall building in Perth used by the Western Australian trade union movement for meetings, offices, social and educational events, and the location of the Trades and Labour Council , now known as the UnionsWA...
- Trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
Union strength comes from collective bargaining, which inevitably has more weight than individual negotiation. However unions' very effectiveness has made them sometimes subject to varied criticism. In an environment of many challenges in workplaces yet declining membership, contemporary unions work to ensure accountability to their members, compliance with legal and financial requirements, and democracy in decision-making, to ensure effectiveness in bargaining.
External links
Further reading
- Layman, Lenore.(and Julian Goddard ; with the assistance of Wendy Wise and Robin Ho) (1988) Organise! : a visual record of the labour movement in Western Australia East Perth, W.A : Trades and Labor Council of W.A ISBN 0909791562
- Oliver, Bobbie, (2003) Unity is strength : a history of the Australian Labor Party and the Trades and Labor Council in Western Australia, 1899-1999 Perth WA : API Network, Australia Research Institute, Curtin University. ISBN 1920845011