Union veteran Ben Davis steps down as Victorian Branch Secretary

Ben Davis is stepping down after nearly three decades with the AWU, including 10 years as Victorian branch secretary.

“People talk about things being life-changing. For me, being an AWU official is life-defining. I’ve been an AWU official for more than half my life,” he says.

“We have so many different members in so many different industries that what we do or don’t do has traditionally rippled through the union movement and the Australian economy. The AWU has played an outsized role in Australian history.”

Ben is proud to be the longest serving Victorian branch secretary for about 40 years and made the decision to call time on his union career about 12 months ago. He was born into a family with strong Labor values and belief in the trade union movement. At the age of 22, he was recruited into the AWU through the ACTU’s Organising Works program, designed to develop future leaders.

In the 1990s, he became an organiser for Central Victoria, for metro Melbourne in 2007 and for growth in 2009. Ben took on the role of branch secretary in 2013.

“In all those 28 years, my proudest achievement is the hundreds of casual employees I’ve been able to advocate for to have their roles converted to full time, because that’s life-changing for people,” he says.

“It’s also keeping the branch and our members on the same page for the last 10 years through some remarkably difficult circumstances,” Ben adds, listing off the pandemic, royal commission into the unions and AFP raids as examples.

He is excited to see Ronnie Hayden take the reins as the next Victorian branch secretary.

“For over a century, the Victorian branch has been dedicated to fighting for members. I’m immensely proud of everything we have achieved in my decade of leadership and confident the branch is left in very capable hands,” Ben says.

“I know Ronnie will keep up the fight on behalf of members and am excited to see him take the branch from strength to strength.”