Historical Timeline

Here you can view the chronology of the major unions which form the modern AWU - the "old" AWU, and FIMEE. These two unions amalgamated in 1993. The AWU timeline below continues after 1993. The FIMEE timeline finishes with the amalgamation in 1993.

Year	Event
1886	William Guthrie Spence and David Temple begin organising shearers; establishment of Australasian Shearers Union on 16 June 1886 at Fern's Hotel in Ballarat. The new union is headquartered in the town of Creswick near Ballarat in Victoria.
1887	Creswick, Bourke and Wagga Wagga unions form Amalgamated Shearers Union of Australia; Creswick dominates. Spence, President, Temple Secretary. Formation of Queensland Shearers Union. Biggest Queensland union by 1889.
1888-90	ASU grows interstate (NSW Vic. & SA); Membership claimed: 20,000 shearers.
1890	Establishment of Brisbane Worker. ASU conference: decision to enforce closed shop/blockade; affiliation with Trades Halls in New South Wales and Victoria. QSU affiliates with Australian Labour Federation. Maritime Strike (August-November).
1891	ASU organises General Labourers Union February on behalf of shed-hands; QSU and Queensland Workers Union (shed-hands) form AWUQ. Queensland pastoral strike. July: ASU Executive Council concedes freedom of contract. Wagga Branch publishes The Hummer.
1894	Macdonell successfully pushes for ASU/GLU amalgamation New South Wales to form the Australian Workers Union, David Temple walks out of conference; William Spence replaces him as General Secretary. Pastoral strike.
1895	Impact of economic depression and drought prompts membership fall from estimated 17,000 to 7,000; continues falling throughout 1890s; AWU closes branches; AWU head office shifts to Sydney.
1899	AWU first union to gain representation at Political Labor League conferences; PLL asks AWU to organise country New South Wales.
1900	Donald Macdonell becomes General Secretary.
1902	AWU membership estimated at 14,000; pastoral strike; pressure from Machine Shearers Union.
1904	AWU and AWUQ amalgamate: total membership 30,000, 'largest and wealthiest union in Australia'.
1907	MSU collapses; first Federal Pastoral Industry Award.
1911	Macdonell dies; replaced as General Secretary by Tom White.
1912	White dies; Edward Grayndler becomes General Secretary.
1913	Amalgamation with the AWA (Qld); Sydney Worker becomes Australian Worker.
1916-17	Conscription referendums; 1917 strike in New South Wales.
1917	Amalgamation with the FMEA (metal mining). AWU Membership est. 86,000.
1917-23	One Big Union movement rises and collapses.
1927	Formation of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
1931-32	Great Depression. Federal Labor split; the World revives and collapses. Pastoral Workers Industrial Union active in New South Wales and Victoria.
1931-32	Clarrie Fallon becomes Queensland Branch secretary. Queensland largest AWU branch with estimated 53,000 members.
1936	The 50th Anniversary since the foundation of the AWU celebrated at the Union's Birthplace in Ballarat.
1941	Grayndler retires. Clarrie Fallon General Secretary.
1942	AWU dissents from Curtin Government decision to send conscripts to the South-West Pacific theatre of operations.
1943	Beecher Hay General Secretary
1944	Hay deposed as General Secretary. Tom Dougherty becomes General Secretary.
1949	Coal strike. Henry Boote, Australian Worker editor (1916-43), dies. Snowy Mountains Scheme begins.
1954-55	AWU denounces groupers; ALP splits.
1956	Shearers' strike.
1957	Queensland ALP splits.
1959	Clyde Cameron forms Council for Membership Control.
1964-65	Mount Isa dispute.
1966	AWU affiliates with the ACTU.
1972	Tom Dougherty dies; Frank Mitchell becomes General Secretary. AWU abandons White Australia policy.
1974	Merger of Brisbane Worker and Australian Worker; New South Wales AWU announces amalgamation with Shop Assistants Union.
1977	Proposed amalgamation between BWIU and AWU in New South Wales revealed; AWU-SAU amalgamation collapses.
1986	The 100th Anniversary since the foundation of the AWU celebrated at the Union's Birthplace in Ballarat.
1987	Gill Barr General Secretary.
1983	Wide comb dispute; first 'incapacity to pay' application by NFF.
1985	Charlie Oliver retires as New South Wales AWU president.
1986	Robe River dispute.
1987	Errol Hodder General Secretary.
1991	Mike Forshaw General Secretary.
1993	AWU amalgamates with FIMEE. Combined membership estimated at 160,000. Name of the new union The AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union. Joint National Secretaries were Michael Forshaw (AWU) and Steve Harrison (FIMEE), Joint National Presidents were Bob Redmond (FIMEE) and Bill Ludwig (AWU).
1994	NFF-AWU 'peace deal'.
1994	Michael Forshaw resigns, Ian Cambridge new Joint National Secretary.
1995	AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union changes it's name to The Australian Workers' Union.
1996	Rules changed to only have one National Secretary and one National President with Steve Harrison and Bill Ludwig filling those positions.
1997	Steve Harrison resigns, Vern Falconer new National Secretary.
1997	BHP Steel announces that the Newcastle Steelworks to close in 1999.
1997	Terry Muscat elected National Secretary. Graham Roberts elected National President.
2001	Bill Shorten elected National Secretary, Bill Ludwig elected National President and Graham Roberts elected Assistant National Secretary all unopposed.
2001	Ansett Australia collapses leaving over 15,000 employees out of working including several thousand AWU members. AWU joins with other unions in a long campaign to ensure former Ansett workers recieve their full entitlements.
2001	AWU National Office moves to Melbourne from Sydney where it had been since 1895, however an annex of the National Office remains in Sydney.
2003	New AWU website launched at AWU National Conference.
2004	The Australian Worker is re-launched in a joint effort between the AWU and Australian Consolidated Press.
2005	Bill Shorten re-elected National Secretary, Bill Ludwig re-elected National President and Graham Roberts re-elected Assistant National Secretary all unopposed.
2005	Boeing Williamtown Dispute.
2006	The 120th Anniversary since the foundation of the AWU celebrated at the Union's Birthplace in Ballarat.
2007	John Howard's WorkChoice Laws defeated at the 2007 Federal Election, National Secretary Bill Shorten elected to Federal Parliament.
2007	Paul Howes is elected National Secretary of the Union becoming the Union's youngest ever National Secretary. Ben Swan elected as Assistant National Secretary following resignation of Graham Roberts. The National Office returns to Sydney.