Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) - Current member organisations

Australia's national trade union organization, formed in 1927. Its prestige has come from representing the unions' case before the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, and in helping to settle industrial disputes. In 1992, there were 227 unions in the country, with a claimed total membership of 3·1 million. Trade union membership in Australia declined from 50% in 1982 to 40% in 1992.

ACTU

Australian Council of Trade Unions
Founded	1927
Members	~1.8 million (2006)
Country	Australia
Affiliation	ICFTU
Key people	Sharan Burrow, President Greg Combet, Secretary
Office location	Melbourne, Victoria
Website	www.actu.asn.au

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the largest peak national body representing workers in Australia. It 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.

In the Australian case, agitation for One Big Union occurred from 1911 from two different sectors: from the revolutionary Australian section of the IWW and from the pro-arbitration Australian Workers Union (AWU). 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 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).

Additionally, from 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.

Current member organisations

Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union Australian Education Union Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Australian Maritime Officers Union Australian Nursing Federation Australian Professional Footballers' Association Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation Australian Services Union Australian Workers Union Australian Writers' Guild Blind Workers Union of Victoria Breweries & Bottleyards Employees Industrial Union of Workers WA Civil Air Operations Officers Association of Australia Club Managers Association Australia Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of Australia Community and Public Sector Union Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union Finance Sector Union Flight Attendants Association of Australia - Domestic/Regional Division Flight Attendants' Association of Australia - International Division Funeral and Allied Industries Union of NSW Health Services Union Independent Education Union of Australia Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union Maritime Union of Australia Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance National Tertiary Education Union National Union of Workers Police Federation of Australia Rugby League Professionals Association Salaried Pharmacists Association of WA Union of Workers Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia Transport Workers Union of Australia Union of Christmas Island Workers United Firefighters Union of Australia Western Australian Prison Officers Union of Workers Woolclassers Association of Australia