Victoria standing stronger together

Every day across Victoria, members clock on at steel mills, wind farms, vineyards, road crews, and industrial facilities. Most shifts pass without incident. But when things go wrong and a manager pulls someone into a meeting with termination papers already printed, what happens next can define the rest of a person’s working life. That’s where the AWU Victoria Industrial Department comes in. Recently, we’ve been shining a light on the wins our team has racked up, and they are significant.

Two members in Victoria’s energy sector faced serious misconduct allegations that would have cost them their jobs and entitlements if left unchallenged. The team reviewed the claims, found they didn’t hold up, and after sustained advocacy the employer withdrew every allegation. Both members walked away with $150,000 redundancy packages each.

In steel manufacturing, a member was called into a disciplinary meeting that had all the hallmarks of a termination. He’d contacted the AWU first. The team showed up, made the case, and the member walked out still employed. The employer backed down.

The InfraBuild case was more complex. The company changed their income protection policy without consulting the AWU or our membership, and refused to include mental health coverage that workers had specifically requested in the new policy. The Fair Work Commission found InfraBuild had breached clause 38 of their enterprise agreement and was required to reach agreement with the AWU and employees on a new policy.

Some employers try silence as a strategy. PWB Vegetation Management terminated a member, claimed his role was redundant, then failed to respond to correspondence, submit required forms, or attend Commission hearings. The industrial department kept going anyway. Eventually, with Fair Work issuing formal notice, the member received $21,000 in compensation. When the fight is about compensation, the results speak for themselves. In recent months alone, a manufacturing member received $36,500, a nursery industry member received $23,750, and another nursery industry member received $28,750. A road maintenance member received $36,000, equivalent to twenty weeks’ pay, after unfair dismissal. A horticulture member received $25,881, near the maximum available. Each figure represents months of casework, building submissions, attending hearings, and seeing it through until the member gets what they are owed.

The department’s work goes beyond individual disputes too. At Veolia Industrial Services, the AWU bargaining team secured 4% annual wage increases, triple time on public holidays, including Christmas Day, and Good Friday, an offshore allowance of $150 per day, and a $5-per-hour allowance for work inside tanks and vessels.

The team’s job is not simple. It requires knowing the law, knowing the industry, and knowing members well enough to build the strongest possible case. Our team Patrick, Danijel and Abhi do that work every day, for members right across Victoria. The wins here are just a portion of what the team handles in any given year. Facing issues with your pay, entitlements, or job security? Contact your delegate or the AWU Victoria office.

Two-thirds of the our AWU Victoria industrial team in the FWC, February 2026