Австралия сауда одақтарының Ұлттық кеңесі

Australian national trade union organisation

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 labour councils. The ACTU is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation. The President of the ACTU is Michele O'Neil, who was elected on 28 July 2018. The current Secretary is Sally McManus.

The ACTU holds a biennial congress that is attended by approximately 800 delegates from affiliated organisations. Between congresses the ACTU is governed by an executive of 60 members: the president, the two vice presidents, the secretary, the assistant secretaries, Trades and Labour Council representatives from each capital city and elected delegates from affiliated unions.

The ACTU's main current campaigns include the campaign to win paid pandemic leave for all workers in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the For the workers campaign to oppose Commonwealth Government proposals to change Australian workplace laws, and the promotion of a Working from Home Charter. Following the 2007 Australian federal election, the ACTU's primary focus was the campaign to restore workers rights under the banner of the Your Rights at Work campaign. In addition to this campaign the ACTU is also running a number of other campaigns, including workplace health and safety, working with other unions on the Your Rights at Telstra campaign and supporting the Rights on Site campaign. The ACTU has also launched a service by which workers can join their applicable union directly through the ACTU. This self titled "one stop shop" for union membership is Australian Unions. In 2008, the ACTU launched a campaign to make paid maternity leave a new national employment standard. In 2011, the ACTU launched a campaign to address the spread of casual, contract and other forms of insecure work in Australian workplaces. Part of this involved an inquiry into insecure work. In 2023, the ACTU and other big unions including the Health Services Union, and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union began a campaign calling for a levy to be imposed on non union workers after the union was able to raise wages through collective bargaining.

In Australia, agitation for One Big Union took place from 1911 from two different sectors: from the revolutionary Australian section of the IWW and from the pro arbitration Australian Workers Union (AWU). At that time the AWU was the largest single Australian union. In 1918 after the collapse of the Australian IWW, a group of militant trade unions (which were opposed to the AWU) attempted to form One Big Union under the name Workers Industrial Union of Australia (WIUA). The hostility between the WIUA and the AWU prevented the formation of One Big Union in Australia. The ACTU was formed as the Australasian Council of Trade Unions in 1927 and was one of the earliest attempts by trade unions to apply the principles of One Big Union earlier explored by more radical syndicalist unions like the CNT or revolutionary industrial unions like the IWW. The ACTU has not achieved the ideals expressed for One Big Union: it remains a council organisation, but it does however represent the majority of Australian trade unions. At its formation in 1927 the ACTU was only seen as representing blue collar trades unions, and only managed to achieve the support of trades unions. Attempts of Nationalist Stanley Bruce's federal government in 1927 to dismantle the Australian Industrial Relations Commission impelled Australian trade unions to form a national council. The ACTU's Australian trade union "peak body" precursors include state labour councils like the Victorian Trades Hall Council (originating in 1856 as the 'Melbourne Trades Hall Committee'), the Labor Council of New South Wales (originally formed in 1870 as the 'Sydney Trades and Labor Council') and the Inter Colonial Trade Union Congress (formed in 1879). From 1948 peak bodies of white collar associations existed, and from 1969 peak bodies of government employees. The white collar bodies were: the Council of Professional and Commercial Employees Association (1948), which became the Council of White Collar Associations (1954), which amalgamated with the Salaried Employees Consultative Council of New South Wales (1954) to become the Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations (ACSPA) in 1956. The government employee bodies were: the Council of Commonwealth Public Service Organisations (1969) which became the Council of Australian Government Employee Organisations (CAGEO) in 1975. The ACTU successfully integrated these bodies in 1981. After 1981 the ACTU was generally viewed by the Australian media and public as the organisation representing all workers' organisations. The ACTU and Labour Councils have often united Australian working class opinion behind certain initiatives like the eight hour day or compulsory arbitration. In the early 1980s this unifying impulse created the Prices and Incomes Accord. The ACTU retains a close relationship with the Australian Labor Party: former ACTU President Bob Hawke went on to become the leader of the ALP and then Prime Minister of Australia. Other former ACTU Presidents who went on to become members of Federal Parliament are: Simon Crean (president 1985–90), Martin Ferguson (1990–96), Jennie George (1996–99), and Ged Kearney (2010–18). The November 2007 election win by the Labor Party, saw the election of a number of union officials to the parliament (Commonwealth) including Bill Shorten (Australian Workers Union) and Greg Combet (former ACTU Secretary). In the late 1980s and early 1990s the ACTU was influential in a move to forcibly amalgamate smaller unions into so called "super unions". The ACTU's plans envisaged 20 super unions organised on an industrial basis. While many amalgamations occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s (in part under the influence of changed industrial law), there are still many unions, and union coverage is often organised by historical amalgamation, not by industry.

In the lead up to the 2007 federal election, the ACTU campaigned actively against the Howard government's WorkChoices legislation, which included an advertising campaign and public rallies. This campaign was originally called "Your Rights at Work" but is now known as "Secure Jobs. Better Future" and even Joe Hockey MP, the Federal Workplace Relations Minister, who said "This is the most sophisticated political plan that we have seen in Australia.". One of the rallies was called Fill the "G" , attended by 50,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and broadcast to other similar rallies throughout the country. A previous national rally had a reported attendance of 500,000 around Australia.

No. Name Took post Left post Time Notes1Billy Duggan192719347 yearsCoburg councillor (1924–30); Mayor of Coburg (1928–29).2Albert Monk, CMG193419439 years2nd Secretary of the ACTU.3Percy Clarey194319496 yearsMP for Bendigo (1949–60). (2)Albert Monk, CMG1949196920 years4Bob Hawke, AC, GCL1969198011 yearsMP for Wills (1980–92); President of the Labor Party (1973–78); Leader of the Labor Party (1983–91); Leader of the Opposition (1983); Prime Minister (1983–91).5Cliff Dolan198019855 years6Simon Crean198519905 yearsMP for Hotham (1990–2013); Deputy Leader of the Labor Party (1998–2001); Leader of the Labor Party (2001–03).7Martin Ferguson199019966 yearsMP for Batman (1996–2013).8Jennie George, AO199620004 yearsMP for Throsby (2001–10).9Sharan Burrow, AC2000201010 yearsPresident of ICFTU (2004–06); President of ITUC (2006–10); General Secretary of ITUC (2010–2022).10Ged Kearney1 July 20102 February 2018MP for Batman (2018–19); MP for Cooper (2019–present).11Michele O'Neil17 July 2018Incumbent

No. Name Took post Left post Time Notes1Charlie Crofts1927194316 yearsPresident of the Labor Party in Victoria (1926–27).2Albert Monk, CMG194319496 years3Reg Broadby194919567 years4Harold Souter1956197721 years5Peter Nolan197719836 years6Bill Kelty, AC1983200017 years7Greg Combet, AM200020077 yearsMP for Charlton (2007–13).8Jeff Lawrence200720125 yearsVice President of the Labor Party in New South Wales (2002–07).9Dave Oliver201215 March 20175 years10Sally McManus15 March 2017Incumbent