Australian Workers' Union
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| Full name | Australian Workers' Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1886 |
| Members | 100,000 |
| Affiliation | ACTU, ALP. ITF, IUF, IMF |
| Key people | Daniel Walton, National Secretary |
| Office location | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Website | www.awu.net.au |
| known as AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union 1993-1995 | |
The Australian Workers Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 100,000 members. It has exercised an influence on the Australian trade union movement and on the Australian Labor Party, throughout its history.
The AWU is the most powerful union in the Labor Right faction of the Australian Labor Party.
The AWU is a national union made up of state, regional and industry-based branches. Each AWU member belongs to one of nine geographic or industry-based branches. Every four years AWU members elect branch and national officials: National President, the National Secretary, and the National Assistant Secretary. They also elect the National Executive and the Branch Executives which act as the Board of Directors for the union.
The AWU's rules are registered with Fair Work Australia and its internal elections are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission.
The AWU is affiliated with the Australian Labor Party, Australian Council of Trade Unions, the International Metalworkers' Federation, the International Union of Foodworkers and the International Transport Workers Federation. The current AWU National President is Bill Ludwig, and the National Secretary is Daniel Walton.
The AWU grew from a number of earlier unions, notably the Australasian Shearers' Union, founded by William Spence, Alexander Poynton (OBE, an inaugural member of the Australian House of Representatives), brother Charles Poynton, and David Temple in Creswick, Victoria in 1886. This union joined with shearers' unions in Bourke and Wagga in New South Wales to form the Amalgamated Shearers Union of Australia in 1887. In 1894 this union amalgamated with the General Labourers Union, which had formed in 1891, to form the Australian Workers' Union.
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