ACTU turns 90
On 3 May, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) marked its 90th anniversary.
The ACTU is the peak body of the Australian trade union movement and since its founding in 1927 has supported, coordinated and led the many campaigns which have transformed working life in Australia since that time.
All modern leave entitlements were won, established and expanded because of struggles of the Australian union movement.
The same goes for:
- the right to equal pay for women,
- the 40 hour week,
- Compulsory superannuation,
- Medicare,
- paid parental leave,
- safety standards in workplaces across the country and countless other conditions which have fundamentally improved the lives of working people.
Today the ACTU’s work continues with campaigns and cases being run to establish a leave entitlement for people affected by domestic violence, a significant increase in the minimum wage and to protect penalty rates for some of the lowest paid workers in Australia.
ACTU Secretary Sally MacManus said that the Australian trade union movement had been, and continued to be, the greatest force for change working people had for improving their lives, the lives of their families and their communities.”
“We are proud of our achievements,” she said. “We will fight to defend them and we will lead our movement to give working people stronger and better rights at work.”
