Australian Manufacturing Workers Union#History
{{Short description|Trade union in Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox union
| name = AMWU
| location_country = Australia
| affiliation = ACTU, IndustriALL, ALP
| members = {{increase}} 55,150 (as at 31 December 2023){{cite web |title=Membership size of registered organisations – 2024 |url=https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/organisations/resources/ig005-membership-size-registered-organisations.pdf |publisher=Fair Work Commission |access-date=20 February 2025}}
| full_name = Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union
| native_name =
| image = 250px
| founded = 1852
| dissolved =
| merged =
| headquarters = 133 Parramatta Rd, Granville, New South Wales
| key_people = Steve Murphy, National Secretary
| website = {{URL|https://www.amwu.org.au/}}
| footnotes =
}}
{{labor|sp=uk}}
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), officially registered as the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing, and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, and is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions as well as the Australian Labor Party.
The AMWU is federally organised into six state branches. Members in the Australian Capital Territory are covered under the New South Wales branch, while members in the Northern Territory are covered under the Queensland branch. Each state branch has its own sub-committee, and there is also an executive committee at the national level.
History
Image:20051115 Australia NSW Sydney IRProtest AMWU.jpg John Howard's IR reforms]]
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 (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.{{cite book |last=Huntley |first=Pat |date=1980 |title=Inside Australia's Top 100 Unions |location=Middle Cove, NSW |publisher=Ian Huntley (Aust.) |pages=141–145 |isbn=0-9598507-4-0 }}
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 it reverted to being the Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union. By 1987, the union's membership had declined slightly to 163,400.{{cite book |last=Docherty |first=James C. |year=2010 |title=The A to Z of Australia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VYk8YfLdmgC |location=Maryland |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |page=13 |isbn=978-0-8108-7634-7}}
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, 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.{{cite encyclopedia |last=Briggs |first=Chris |editor-last1=Ellem |editor-first1=Bradon |editor-last2=Markey |editor-first2=Raymond |editor-last3=Shields |editor-first3=John |encyclopedia=Peak Unions in Australia: Origins, Purpose, Power, Agency |title=The End of a Cycle? The Australian Council of Trade Unions in Historical Perspective |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Jn4Y1ySOPIC |access-date=5 October 2018 |year=2004 |publisher=The Federation Press |location=Leichhardt |isbn=1-86287-530-8 |page=247}}
In 1991, the AMWU amalgamated with the Association of Draughting Supervisory & Technical Employees (ADSTE) to create 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, with membership more than halving over the following decade to 68,008 in 2017.{{cite web|title=Trends in Union Membership in Australia|author=Australian Parliament|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1819/UnionMembership#_Toc527380735|date=15 Oct 2018 }}
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 faction of the Australian Labor Party.{{cite web |last1=Marin-Guzman |first1=David |title=Inside the union factions that rule the ALP conference |url=https://www.afr.com/news/policy/industrial-relations/inside-the-union-factions-that-rule-the-alp-conference-20181216-h19692 |website=Australian Financial Review |access-date=6 August 2019}} During the 2010 Australian federal election the CFMEU and AMWU donated a total of $60,000 to the Greens.{{cite news|last=Keane|first=Bernard|title=Electoral funding figures show Labor's donations collapse|url=http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/02/01/australian-electoral-funding-figures-liberal-and-labor/?wpmp_switcher=mobile|access-date=29 April 2014|newspaper=Crikey|date=1 February 2012}}
The South Australian branch of the AMWU was previously affiliated with Labor Unity, but has been affiliated with Labor Left since 2019.{{Cite web |date=2019-03-28 |title=REVEALED: Factional shakeup looms after AMWU coup - News {{!}} InDaily, Inside South Australia |url=https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/archive/2019/03/28/revealed-factional-shakeup-looms-after-amwu-coup |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=www.indailysa.com.au |language=en}} In WA, the AMWU allies with the United Workers Union in forming the majority left faction.{{Cite web |last=Hastie |first=Hamish |date=2025-03-12 |title=WA Labor’s factional makeup has changed dramatically since Saturday. Here’s what we know |url=https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/wa-labor-s-factional-makeup-has-changed-dramatically-since-saturday-here-s-what-we-know-20250312-p5lizv.html |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=WAtoday |language=en}}
= AMWU-Affiliated Members of Parliament =
Multiple Labor politicians are affiliated with the AMWU. These include:
== Western Australia (as of 2025) ==
== Queensland ==
Shannon Fentiman is affiliated with the AMWU.{{Cite web |last=Remeikis |first=Amy |date=2015-12-07 |title=Labor's old guard wins in reshuffle |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/labors-old-guard-wins-in-reshuffle-20151208-glht95.html |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Brisbane Times |language=en}}
== South Australia ==
South Australia has no current parliamentarians affiliated with the AMWU. Former MP Jon Gee was affiliated with the AMWU.{{Cite web |date=2017-11-19 |title=Jon Gee - South Australian Labor Party |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119163501/http://sa.alp.org.au/alp/state-mps/jon-gee |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=web.archive.org}}
== Federal Parliament ==
{{Expand section|date=April 2025}}
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Name !Seat !Other Notes !Ref. |
| Jenny McAllister
|Senator for New South Wales | |
| Tim Ayres
|Senator for New South Wales |
| Ellie Whiteaker
|Senator for Western Australia | |
| Nita Green
|Senator for Queensland | |
| Anne Urquhart
| |
Further reading
- Reeves, Andrew and Andrew Dettmer (eds.) Organise, educate, control: the AMWU in Australia, 1852–2012. Clayton, Victoria: Monash University Publishing, 2013. {{ISBN|9781922235008}}.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Organized labour}}
- {{official|http://www.amwu.asn.au/}}
- [http://www.atua.org.au/biogs/ALE0977b.htm Australian Trade Union Archive entry for AMWU]
{{Authority control}}
Category:1972 establishments in Australia
Category:Manufacturing trade unions
Category:Trade unions affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions