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  • Viva Gillard, as Labor returned
    7 September 2010
    The AWU Victorian Secretary Cesar Melhem today extended his congratulations to Prime Minister Julia Gillard on being returned to office after a marathon 17-day process since the federal election.

  • Support Equal Pay Day
    2 September 2010
    This Saturday (4 September) is Equal Pay Day but there is not much for women to celebrate with evidence the gender pay gap is widening.

  • AWU welcomes Vic Govt response to Bushfires Royal Commission
    27 August 2010
    The AWU has welcomed the Vicotorian Government's announcements overall in response to the Bushfires Royal Commission, but warned that the number of permanent DSE firefighters is not adequate.

  • AWU welcomes crackdown on roadwork speed limits
    25 August 2010
    The AWU has welcomed a move by the Victorian Government to strengthen roadwork zones, but called for more protection for a vulnerable group of workers.

  • AWU to push for Royal Commission backburning recommendation
    3 August 2010
    AWU Victorian Secretary Cesar Melhem said the union would not rest until the Royal Commission's backburning recommendation was accepted.

  • AWU waits on Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Report
    30 July 2010
    AWU Secretary Cesar Melhem has described tomorrow's release of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Report as a vital link in a chain of events necessary to secure the state and its fire workers against future potential fire catastrophes.

  • Horsham workers settle on new agreement
    8 July 2010
    AWU members at CMI Industries in Horsham (Vic) have accepted the terms of a new agreement which will see them receive seven per cent in pay increases over two and a half years.

  • AWU to help more workers get a WorkHealth check
    29 June 2010
    WorkSafe Victoria and the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) have joined forces to help more Victorian workers gain access to a vital WorkHealth check.

  • Landmark Legal Case to Pursue Boss to Pay Redundancies
    22 June 2010
    The AWU and AMWU are taking landmark legal action against a company director personally to claim more than $2 million in entitlements for 57 members put out of work by the collapse of his Victorian company Forgecast Australia Pty Ltd.

  • Incolink Scholarship offers the study trip of a lifetime
    11 June 2010
    Young workers in the building and construction industries have been given the chance to win the trip of a lifetime, with a scholarship program run by Incolink and the Australian Overseas Foundation.

  • Springvale Cemetery Workers Accept 13.25% Pay Deal
    11 June 2010
    AWU members at Springvale Cemetery have accepted a pay deal in which they will receive increases totalling 13.25% over the three year life of a new Enterprise Agreement.

  • Premier John Brumby to attend Delegates and Safety Reps General Meeting
    10 June 2010
    Premier John Brumby along with AWU National Secretary Paul Howes will be special guests at the Delegates and Health and Safety Reps General Meeting on Thursday 24th June.

  • Horsham Workers Lose Patience
    10 June 2010
    Workers at CMI Industries in Horsham today took part in a four-hour stoppage after failed negotiations towards a new Enterprise Agreement, and lingering questions over payment of superannuation.

  • Workers Rally For Equal Pay
    10 June 2010
    About 5.000 people chanting and blowing whistles brought the heart of Melbourne CBD to a standstill today as they marched in support of the campaign for equal pay for community sector workers.

  • Equal Pay Day
    9 June 2010
    Thousands of Equal Pay supporters will gather across the country on June 10 at 11am. We invite you to show your support by attending the Melbourne event tomorrow.

  • How you say: Springvale Cemetery Workers Strike
    1 June 2010
    MORE industrial action is planned for Springvale Botanical Cemetery this week after workers rallying for a pay rise walked off the job on Thursday.

  • The Dandenong Leader gets the story on Springvale Cemetery
    28 May 2010
    Springvale Cemetery workers to strike in pay dispute.

    dandenong-leader.whereilive.com.au

    SPRINGVALE Botanical Cemetery workers have voted to stop work for the rest of the week in their bid for a 17 per cent pay rise

  • AWU Update On Alcoa
    28 May 2010
    The AWU is currently assessing a claim by Alcoa that 13 redundancies are necessary at its Portland facility before the end of the year.

  • AWU Strike At Springvale Cemetery
    27 May 2010
    AWU Members at Springvale Cemetery this morning voted to stop work for the rest of the week after repeated warnings they would be forced to such action if their campaign for a fair pay deal was not taken seriously.

  • AWU Wants To Hear From Mildura Members
    26 May 2010
    AWU Victorian Secretary Cesar Melhem will be in Mildura this week to meet the union's delegates and discuss regional concerns.

  • AWU Supports World Refugee Day
    26 May 2010
    AWU Victorian Secretary Cesar Melhem has urged all Victorian to support World Refugee Day by attending a rally outside the State Library in Swanston St on Sunday 20 June at 12 noon.

  • Fight Back On Bank Rip Offs
    26 May 2010
    If you think you have been ripped off by bank fees you may be able to join a class action being proposed by AWU Victorian branch lawyers Maurice Blackburn.

  • Fair Work Australia upholds right to union representation
    21 May 2010
    AWU Victorian Secretary Cesar Melhem has welcomed a Fair Work Australia (FWA) decision which he says "sends a message to employers generally about the importance of workers' representational rights."

  • AWU wins for racing worker
    11 May 2010
    The AWU has put the racing industry on notice after Fair Work Australia (FWA) recently denied an application that could have seen a former foreman for Freedman Brothers Racing not receive his redundancy payout.

  • Springvale Cemetery industrial action - have your opinion heard
    11 May 2010
    The Springvale Dandenong Leader wants your feedback on whether Springvale Cemetery workers deserve a 17% pay increase to give them pay parity with their counterparts at Fawkner Cemetery.

  • Springvale Cemetery stop-work over unfair pay deal
    6 May 2010
    AWU members at Springvale Cemetery will stop work for four hours tomorrow (Friday 7 May) as part of a campaign for pay parity with workers at Fawkner Cemetery who are paid 17% more for the same duties.

  • AWU will not oppose merger of MFB and CFA
    05 May 2010
    The Australian Workers' Union would support a merger of the MFB and CFA, but would not support a proposed combining of the two fire services with Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE) fire suppression functions.

  • AWU to resist Portland redundancies
    03 May 2010
    About 400 members of the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) employed by Alcoa's Portland Aluminium voted unanimously on Friday (April 30) to resist attempts for 40 redundancies at the plant before the end of the year.

  • Mushroom workers refuse to be kept in the dark
    21 April 2010
    Mushroom pickers for a Victorian company this week won their fight to stop a new centralised weighing system that promised to cost them money and reduce their health and safety protection.

  • Blue Collar Club-Western Bulldogs Membership
    22 March 2010
    The AFL season is almost upon us and the great team of Melbourne's west, the Western Bulldogs, have joined forces with the Australian Workers' Union - Victorian Branch to offer AWU members exclusive membership benefits at a special discounted rate

  • Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission
    16 March 2010
    The Victorian Branch continues to be an active participant in the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission chaired by Berbard Teague.

  • AWU Women's Seminar
    03 March 2010
    The AWU Victorian Branch 5th Annual Women's Day Seminar is on this Friday 5th March.

  • Union welcomes Alcoa Victoria announcement
    02 March 2010
    Australian Workers' Union members are celebrating the job certainty delivered to thousands of regional Victorian families because of a long-term deal energy deal announced today by Alcoa.

  • ACT NOW: Email Danish oil rig firm discriminating against Aussie union members
    02 March 2010
    For almost two years the MUA-AWU Offshore Alliance members on the drill rig Nan Hai 6 have been trying to seal a deal with an iconic Danish shipping giant Maersk.

  • Australian manufacturing workers can help solve insulation crisis
    26 February 2010
    More than 1400 manufacturing jobs across Australia could disappear forever, the Australian Workers' Union warned today, if the Federal Government cannot come to an agreement to help the major local insulation manufacturers.

  • Rig Workers held captive in Singapore win their freedom
    25 February 2010
    For the past two weeks Norwegian offshore drilling company Songa Offshore, operators of the Australian manned drilling rig Songa Venus, have been refusing the right to shore leave for rig workers whilst the rig is Singapore for survey and refit work.

  • AWU leader warns of more bushfire tragedy ahead
    19 February 2010
    Victorians continue to face devastating loss of lives because the state is not employing enough people to fight bushfires, the Australia Workers Union State Secretary Cesar Melhem told the Bushfires Royal Commission on Friday.

  • Union seeks talks over Alcoa job losses
    04 December 2009
    The Australian Workers' Union Victorian Branch is angered by plans to cut 90 jobs at the Geelong Plant of Alcoa Australia Rolled Products.

  • High lead levels on Westgate Bridge need new safety controls
    08 October 2009
    Safety controls on the Westgate Bridge Strengthening Project must be improved after unacceptably high levels of lead among workers stopped work on part of the project, the AWU said today.

  • Bushfire response too little, too late
    06 October 2009
    The Victorian Government's new bushfire response plan fails to provide urgently needed resources to improve the State's fire readiness in public forests, the Australian Workers Union (AWU) said today.

  • Hundreds of job cuts to hit Melbourne's west
    08 September 2009
    Melbourne's western suburbs will be hard hit by hundreds more job losses with the closure of Huntsman Chemicals' plant in West Footscray.

  • Pace Cars launch Slow Down @ Road Works campaign
    28 August 2009
    The AWU has successfully tested the use of 'Pace Cars' to cut the level of speeding at road works, at the start of a campaign to prevent deaths and injuries to road workers.

  • Victoria must boost local manufacturing
    18 August 2009
    The Victorian Government should urgently step up measures to secure local manufacturing jobs in response the global financial crisis and emerging international competition, the Manufacturing Alliance said today.

  • Forest Firefighters disappointed by Bushfire Royal Commission report
    17 August 2009
    The AWU, representing Victorian Government Forest Firefighters' is disappointed by the Interim Report released today by the Bushfires Royal Commission, and called on the State Government to urgently improve fire prevention measures.

  • AWU wins first ruling on workers' majority right to collective bagaining
    13 August 2009
    The AWU Victorian Branch has won Australia's first legal ruling confirming that a majority of workers want to bargain collectively with their employer in a test case on the the new Fair Work laws.

  • Workers betrayed in Ballarat mine sale
    22 July 2009
    More than 100 workers due to lose their jobs at Lihir Gold's Ballarat mine have been betrayed by the company's decision to abandon the project, the Australian Workers Union said today.

  • Unfair minimum wage freeze does nothing for jobs growth
    15 July 2009
    The minimum wage freeze imposed on low paid workers in July will do nothing to promote employment or economic growth, says Cesar Melhem.

  • Invest in bushfire preparations now: AWU
    06 July 2009
    Significant new investment in planning and preparation for bushfires is now overdue and Victoria is unlikely to meet recommended backburning targets ahead of the next fire season, according to the union representing Government Forest Firefighters.

  • Fight fires months before the flames
    06 July 2009
    WITH a new bushfire season starting in Victoria in a few months, major preparations should be under way now to contain wild outbreaks threatening lives and property.

  • Fosters Wine Group ask 50 workers to take redundancies
    01 July 2009
    50 workers near Mildura at Karadoc Lindemans winery have been asked to take voluntary redundancy packages.

  • Vic bushfire class action gets AWU thumbs up
    26 June 2009
    More than 700 people affected by the Black Saturday bushfire in the Kinglake area, Victoria, have registered as members of a class action against power company SP Ausnet.

  • AWU approves new jobs for Tongan workers
    24 June 2009
    A group of Tongan fruit pickers who were left unemployed in northern Victoria by the Timbercorp collapse have secured better jobs after an AWU campaign to properly enforce the Pacific Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme.

  • AWU Website Training
    22 June 2009
    Victorian Staff receive recieves website training today and loves it.

  • Union welcomes WorkCover super payments
    17 June 2009
    Brumby Government reforms to pay superannuation contributions for injured workers and to increase WorkCover payments by 5% are welcome improvements, AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Melhem said today.

  • AWU In Talks To Save Alcoa Jobs
    16 June 2009
    AWU Victorian State Secretary Cesar Melhem, is in talks today with Alcoa Management in an attempt to save jobs at the Pt Henry and Angelsea plants.

  • Jobless Tongans show need for tougher Pacific Seasonal Worker Scheme
    11 June 2009
    The Australian Workers' Union says abuse of the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme has left a group of Tongans stranded in Australia without jobs, and the scheme should be scrapped unless the Federal Government requires compliance with better employment conditions.

  • Record pay win after 25-day picket
    22 May 2009
    AWU members at Fosters Plastics are celebrating their biggest-ever pay rise after a 25-day picket outside the company's Glenroy factory in outer Melbourne.

  • Union tells Royal Commission 1500 extra Victorian Bush Firefighters needed
    15 May 2009
    Victoria needs around 1500 extra full-time Forest Firefighters to meet the growing bushfire threat, The Australian Workers Union will tell the Bushfires Royal Commission.

  • Workers to lose jobs at Incitec Pivot (IPL) North Shore
    13 May 2009
    29 workers were told on Monday they would lose their jobs at Incitec Pivot (IPL) manufacturing works in North Shore.

  • Firefighters win 15 per cent wage rise
    12 May 2009
    The Melbourne Age has reported to its important readership about the major win won by the Australian Workers Union for its Forest Firefighter membership.

  • Stick To ALP Policy To Scrap ABCC, Rudd Told
    28 April 2009
    The Australian Workers' Union today demanded that the Rudd Government fully implement ALP policy to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission, saying the death toll in the construction industry had nearly doubled since the introduction of the ABCC's discriminatory laws.

  • Royal Commission into Victorian bushfires to hear from AWU forest firefighters
    22 April 2009
    The AWU is preparing to appear before the Royal Commission into Victorian bushfires to explain the crucial and unacknowledged role that forest firefighters play in protecting the community.

  • AWU Supports Workers Memorial Day 28 April
    20 April 2009
    Workers Memorial Day (WMD) is an international day that unions, workers and their families and communities around the world join together to remember and mourn for those who have been killed or injured at work, and to fight for the living

  • Westgate Bridge Unions and John Holland come to a truce
    16 April 2009
    The Secretaries of the AWU, AMWU and CFMEU and representatives of John Holland Pty Ltd met today at the AWU headquarters in West Melbourne and resolved to discuss the current industrial dispute on the Westgate Bridge.

  • Rig workers concerned after 8 killed in helicopter crash
    03 April 2009
    The MUA-AWU Offshore Alliance has begun an information consultation program with members after another helicopter has crashed into the North Sea while carrying rigs workers to shore.

  • Buy Australian On Infrastructure Projects
    02 April 2009
    The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) has welcomed the Victorian Government's decision to proceed with the Frankston bypass, and called on the Government to ensure Australian steel and cement are used in the $750 million road project.

  • Bushfires delay Firefighters' Protest
    01 April 2009
    Hundreds of Victorian Government Firefighters today have postponed a protest outside State Parliament because they are battling five ongoing new bushfires around the State. The delay came as The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) moved to have the firefighters' escalating pay dispute with the Government referred to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

  • Union Leader Challenges Brumby's New Wage Policy
    27 March 2009
    The Victorian Government's new public sector wages policy, announced today, was an unjustified and inflexible step backwards for many working people, according to the State Secretary of The Australian Workers' Union, Cesar Melhem.

  • Forest Firefighters Consider Industrial Action
    19 March 2009
    Hundreds of Victorian Forest Firefighters are considering taking industrial action in support of their claim to be paid on the same basis as other Firefighters in the State, The Australian Workers' Union said today.

  • AWU Victoria General Meeting on 21 April 2009
    11 March 2009
    All Delegates and HSRs are encouraged to attend the General Meeting on 21 April 2009 at Moonee Valley Racecourse.

  • Review Forest Fire Fighters' Safety Now
    10 March 2009
    The Australian Workers' Union is calling for a joint review of Victorian Forest Fire Fighters' safety after two Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) firefighters were injured when their tanker rolled during blacking out operations near Eildon yesterday.

  • AWU gives cash support to members caught up in Victorian bushfire tragedy
    13 February 2009
    Up to 20 AWU members and their families have lost their homes and possessions during the Victorian Bushfires and are now receiving support from the AWU.

  • Supporting our AWU Members In Difficult Times
    13 February 2009
    Please read the letter to see what the AWU are offering by way of assistance to these members

  • 4th Annual AWU Women's Seminar
    12 February 2009
    All AWU Women are invited to attend the 4th Annual AWU Women's Seminar on Friday 6th March.

  • AWU gets international support for Victorian bushfire victims
    11 February 2009
    Unions from across the globe have sent financial support and messages of solidarity to AWU members in Victoria caught up in the horrendous bushfires which have made world-wide news.

  • Bushfire Disaster
    10 February 2009
    A Message from the AWU Victorian State Secretary

  • AWU members on the frontline of Victorian bushfire tragedy
    09 February 2009
    More than 600 Australian Workers Union members, frontline bushfire fighters, were out in force over the weekend trying to protect Victorian communities in the face of the worst bushfires in the history of that state.

  • AWU Victorian Leadership Re-elected Unopposed
    28 January 2009
    The Victorian leadership team of the Australian Workers' Union led by Cesar Melhem have been re-elected, unopposed for a four year term.

  • AWU Members feature in Award nominated episode of The Union Show
    22 January 2009
    AWU members from Sugar Australia are featured in an award nominated episode of Channel 31's 'The Union Show'.'

  • AWU response to Moonee Valley restructure
    07 January 2009
    Victorian Secretary of the Australian Workers Union Cesar Melhem said the decision by the Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) Board to reduce the workforce by one quarter will greatly impact on services to members which cannot be good for the racing community.

  • Workplace safety should be our number one priority
    22 December 2008
    Union officials have again been denied access under Commonwealth OHS laws to a John Holland worksite after a worker suffered injury when a wall collapsed.

  • AWU Positive on Way Forward With Victoria's Transport Plan
    10 December 2008
    Victorian Secretary of the AWU, Mr Cesar Melhem spoke today following the announcement from Brumby’s Government that additional “rolling stock” will be provided by way of further bus, train and tram services in the State of Victoria.

  • AWU 2009 RDO Calendar (38 hour week) Construction
    10 December 2008
    The AWU has prepared our 2009 RDO Calendar for those members who work a 38 hour constuction week.

  • AWU Strongly Endorses And Encourages The Victorian Transport Plan
    08 December 2008
    Mr Cesar Melhem, Victorian Secretary of the AWU congratulated the Brumby Government's Victorian Transport Plan as a responsible reply to Sir Rod Eddington's Investing in Transport report

  • AWU launch racing stable employee's association
    05 December 2008
    The AWU in Victoria has begun a campaign to improve the working conditions and safety of stable employees in the racing industry.

  • Win for Victorian unfair dismissal rights
    27 November 2008
    The Australian Workers Union win for a racing steward employed at Harness Racing Victoria is a major victory for the unfair dismissal rights of all Victorian public servants.

  • Brumby to prop up industries
    19 November 2008
    This article about the Brumby Government's decision to support local manufacturers - an issue that the AWU has been campaigning hard for - was published in The Age newspaper on 19 November.

  • Victorian Workers Welcome Government's Vote Of Confidence
    19 November 2008
    The Australian Workers’ Union welcomes today’s announcement from the Brumby Government that it will favour local manufacturers over their foreign competitors when awarding government tenders.

  • John Valves collapse to cost 130 jobs
    17 November 2008
    The following article about John Valves appeared in The Sunday Age on 16 November 2008

  • AWU On Board Car Plan
    10 November 2008
    The Australian Workers' Union welcomes today's Prime Ministerial announcement of a New Car Plan as an investment in the skills and livelihoods of Australians.

  • List of Potential Buyers for John Valves Grows
    28 October 2008
    The following article about the future of AWU members' jobs at John Valves - which was placed in administration a fortnight ago - was published in the Ballarat Courier today.

  • Brumby Aboard Buy Local Bid
    22 October 2008
    The following article about the Victorian Government's support for the local manufacturing industry - for which the AWU has been campaigning- was published in The Age newspaper today.

  • No Pay Day For Cheated Ballarat Workers
    15 October 2008
    More than 120 workers at Ballarat foundry John Valves were this morning denied their wages for last week's work and stood down without pay for the next three days.

  • Revolt Brews As State Loses Jobs
    03 October 2008
    The following article about the AWU's campaign to support the local manufacturing industry was published in The Age newspaper.

  • Opposition's Sugarloaf "Position" Risks Jobs
    24 September 2008
    Thousands of Victorian manufacturing jobs are at risk under the State Opposition's cobbled-together position on the $750 million Sugarloaf Pipeline project, the Australian Workers' Union said today.

  • Unions and business want trains to be built here
    06 September 2008
    The following article from The Age newspaper concerns the AWU's push for the Victorian Government to invest in local manufacturing

  • AWU: Working To Improve Return To Work Outcomes
    02 September 2008
    The AWU Victorian Branch will be involved in the trial of a ground-breaking Return To Work audit tool, State Secretary Cesar Melhem announced today.

  • Portland Working Families Welcome Smelter Exclusion
    17 July 2008
    Stand beneath the massive power lines that carry electricity to Portland's Alcoa aluminium smelter in far south-west Victoria

  • AWU Supports Proposed East-West Road and Rail Tunnels
    15 July 2008
    The AWU Victorian Branch has strongly supported transport proposals

  • EastLink Welcomed By Those Who Built It
    29 June 2008
    Australian Workers Union members who built the $2.5 billion EastLink project are filled with a sense of pride as the nations biggest road project opens to the public.

  • Qantas Cost Cuts Nothing To Do With Oil Price: Union
    18 June 2008
    The following article about Qantas' decision to close its Mildura maintenance base was published on ABC Online on Tuesday 17 June, 2008.

  • Victorian Firefighter Lies Injured For Five Hours Before Rescued
    28 May 2008
    A Department of Sustainability and Environment worker lay injured for five hours this past Monday before he was rescued, the Australian Workers Union said today.

  • 'Devious' Steel Giant Ordered To Pay Compensation To Two Sacked Workers
    07 May 2008
    The AWU Victorian Branch has scored a massive victory over steel giant Bluescope Steel, with the company ordered to pay substantial compensation to two brothers for their illegal termination.

  • Geelong Harness Racing Meet Under Threat After Stewards Vote To Go On Strike
    09 April 2008
    This article about the impact of a strike by AWU Harness Racing Stewards was written by journalist Dennis Craven in the Geelong Advertiser on Wednesday 9 April 2008.

  • AWU HRV Stewards Back To Work After Successful Conciliation Hearing
    09 April 2008
    AWU HRV stewards will return to work tomorrow, satisfied with the outcome of an Industrial Relations conciliation hearing late today.

  • Strike Action To Cost Victorian Harness Racing Industry Millions
    8 April 2008
    Harness racing in Victoria is expected to come to a standstill indefinitely from tomorrow (Wednesday) when the states 13 official stewards take lawful strike action, the AWU said today.

  • Costly stipes' action riles Gath
    07 April 2008
    This article about the industrial action being taken by AWU HRV stewards was written by Adam Hamilton and published in the Herald Sun newspaper on Monday 7 April 2008.

  • Strike Proves No Bluff
    06 April 2008
    This article about the industrial action being taken by AWU HRV Stewards was written by journalist Adam Hamilton and was published in the Herald Sun newspaper on Saturday 5 April 2008.

  • Stipes' Strike To Disrupt Meetings
    02 April 2008
    This article about the industrial action being taken by Victorian harness racing stewards was written by journalist Adam Hamilton in today's Herald Sun newspaper.

  • New Transport Plan Crucial For Survival of Skilled Local Jobs
    02 April 2008
    Victorias ability to provide sustainable, skilled jobs for working people would be threatened if the State Government did not act on recommendations to build two new tunnels under Melbourne, the Australian Workers Union said today.

  • Harness Racing To Be Crippled When Stewards Take Industrial Action
    30 March 2008
    Harness racing in Victoria will be severely disrupted from next Wednesday when stewards take industrial action, their union said today.

  • Pay Dispute Threatens To Halt Harness Racing: Stipes To Strike
    29 March 2008
    The following article regarding planned industrial action by AWU Stewards was written by journalist Adam Hamilton in the Herald Sun newspaper on March 29, 2008.

  • Work Banned On Pipeline After Workers Exposed to Asbestos
    18 March 2008
    The AWU has banned work on the laying of a pipeline in Victoria after more than one dozen construction workers were exposed to asbestos in recent weeks.

  • AWU Bluescope Western Port Survey
    11 March 2008
    The AWU Victorian Branch is gearing up for the negotiation of your EBA, which is due for renewal by1 November 2008.

  • AWU Calls For Thorough Investigation Into Workplace Death
    06 March 2008
    The AWU expresses its deepest sympathies to the family of the man killed after being dragged into a street sweeper in Grantville near Phillip Island earlier today, AWU State Secretary Cesar Melhem said.

  • Welfare of Stable Employees Put Under The Microscope
    15 February 2008
    The working lives of stable employees are to be improved under a new project involving the AWU Victorian Branch, as reported in the following Racing Victoria Press Release.

  • AWU angered by OneSteel slash and burn plant closures
    15 February 2008
    The AWU has blasted OneSteel for refusing to invest in new technologies and using their merger with Smorgons Steel as an excuse to shutdown plants across Australia.

  • AWU Calls For Government Inquiry Into Decision To Manufacture Trains Overseas
    10 February 2008
    The Australian Workers Union is calling on Premier John Brumby to review the Governments decision to award a $360 million contract for the overseas manufacture of 18 new trains.

  • AWU Submission to the Accident Compensation Act Review
    31 January 2008
    Here is the AWU Victorian Branch's submission to the Victorian Government's review into the Accident Compensation Act:

  • A Father's Job Is Never Complete
    31 January 2008
    AWU Water Maintenance Worker Peter Cozens was featured in the following Herald Sun article about the pressures on working fathers.

  • Sunbeam Wields The Axe - Workers Retrenched
    23 January 2008
    The following article concerning AWU members at Sunbeam was published in The Weekly Times newspaper on Wednesday 23 January, 2008.

  • Question Mark Over Miners' Safety Yet Again
    21 December 2007
    A team of Australian Workers Union officials is heading to Fosterville Gold Mine near Bendigo to begin its safety investigation into an underground explosion at the mine which resulted in 12 workers requiring hospital attention.

  • Farm Swoop Sends Warning On A Fair Day's Pay
    11 December 2007
    The following article on investigations into underpaying of farming employees was published in The Age newspaper on Tuesday 11 December 2007.

  • Hardy Wines Leave Sour Taste In Mouths of Workers
    07 December 2007
    Hardy Wines was acting worse than the Grinch at Christmas in denying its Buronga winery workers fair compensation for losing their jobs next year, the Australian Workers Union said today.

  • 27 Survive To Tell Of Rock Fall
    21 November 2007
    The following article concerning a serious rock fall at the Ballarat Goldfields, where AWU members work, was published in the Herald Sun newspaper on Tuesday 20 November 2007.

  • Let's Have No More Limbs Lost
    15 November 2007
    Two brave AWU members Gerald Wilkie and Alan Newey have spoken openly about the trauma of losing their right arms in industrial incidents.

  • Anger As Another 100 Aussie Jobs Lost
    02 November 2007
    Nearly 100 workers at OneSteels Laverton wire mill are devastated after being told this morning that the mill will be closed next February.

  • Firefighters Refuse 20kg Backpack Drill
    31 October 2007
    The following article about the AWU's ban on fitness tests for DSE firefighters was published in the Herald Sun on Wednesday 31 October 2007

  • AWU Victorian Branch's 2006-2007 Financial Report
    30 October 2007
    The independent auditor's report on the AWU Victorian Branch's Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2007 has been completed.

  • Golf Club Workers Rescued from the Rough
    16 October 2007
    The following article concerning AWU members at The Golf Club - St Andrews Beach was published in The Age newspaper on Tuesday 16 October 2007.

  • Rally For Sacked Workers Tomorrow (Saturday)
    12 October 2007
    A rally involving family members and supporters of 14 workers sacked without notice by The Golf Club - St Andrew Beachs Gunnamatta Course will be held tomorrow morning.

  • Workers Lose Out At Victorian Golf Course
    11 October 2007
    The Australian Workers Union will picket an exclusive Victorian golf course until its workers - terminated yesterday with no notice are reinstated.

  • Congratulations to AWU HSR Brendan Taylor
    14 September 2007
    AWU Health & Safety Representative Brendan Taylor from Bluescope Steel, Western Port, has been named as a finalist in the Health and Safety Representative of the Year 2007 WorkSafe Awards.

  • 'Fund for workers' if flu ban continues - RACING CRISIS
    28 August 2007
    The following article that reports the AWU's call for support of racing industry workers was published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday 28 August 2007.

  • Anger As More Than 130 Victorians Put Out of Work
    22 August 2007
    The AWU calls on the Federal and State Governments to demand that locally-produced parts are used in the manufacturer of wind turbines, following Vesta Blades announcement that it will close its Portland blade-manufacturing business in December.

  • Ringing Endorsement of Victorian Aviation Engineers
    09 August 2007
    The Australian Workers Union welcomes todays announcement of a memorandum of understanding between Tiger Airways and John Holland Aviation Services, which would see Melbourne aviation maintenance engineers provide aircraft inspection and maintenance support to the Singapore-based airline.

  • Reprieve for Workers at Geelong car component factory, but black cloud remains
    30 July 2007
    The Australian Workers Union welcomes todays decision by Belgium company Bekaert that it will conduct a two month review into its Geelong wire operation.

  • No Party As Award Hits 100
    25 July 2007
    The following article about the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Federal Pastoral Award was published in the Weekly Times newspaper on Wednesday 25 July 2007.

  • Car Industry Feels Ford Closure Shockwaves
    18 July 2007
    The following transcript from ABC's PM program features AWU State Secretary Cesar Melhem reacting to Ford's announcement that it will close its Geelong engine plant by 2010, making 600 workers redundant.

  • Bosses Must Pay The Price For Staff
    11 July 2007
    The following article by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten was published in the Weekly Times newspaper on Wednesday 11 July 2007.

  • 9th Annual AWU Members' Ball
    02 July 2007
    Preparations are well underway for the 9th Annual AWU Members' Ball, which will be held in the Palladium Room, Crown Complex on Saturday 27 October 2007.

  • AWU Vic. Members' Skills Survey
    02 July 2007
    We are all aware of the challenges presented by the current skills shortage in the Australian economy. AWU members have a wide range of skills which are of increasing value to the economy.

  • Alarm At Shortcuts Taken With Miners' Safety
    20 June 2007
    The Australian Workers Union is pushing for an independent investigation into a breach of safety procedure at the Ballarat Goldfields mine yesterday.

  • Nothing 'Fair' About This Test
    22 May 2007
    The following opinion piece by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten was published in the Herald Sun newspaper on Tuesday 22 May 2007

  • Relief for Headache of Power Plant Vibration
    11 May 2007
    A NOISY, vibrating power plant in Melbourne's west has drastically affected morale at a neighbouring building materials factory, whose 70 workers have suffered headaches and nausea since it opened in December.

  • Deep Down Agreement
    10 May 2007
    The following opinion piece by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten about the Beaconsfield Mine Disaster was published in the Herald-Sun newspaper on Thursday 10 May 2007

  • Component Workers Cry Foul on New Contracts
    08 May 2007
    WORKERS at a Melbourne car components factory are being pushed onto Australian Workplace Agreements by their new boss, despite Federal Government changes designed to protect workers when a business is sold.

  • Former AJAX Workers Treated Unfairly Once Again
    07 May 2007
    About 40 former AJAX workers are once again being treated unfairly, with their prospective new employer attempting to coerce them onto unfair Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs).

  • AWU Welcomes Tiger Airways To Melbourne
    03 May 2007
    The Australian Workers' Union welcomes todays announcement by Tiger Airways that it will establish a new base in Melbourne, creating more than 1000 jobs.

  • AWU Welcomes Protective Measures For Victorian Workers
    01 May 2007
    Victorian workers stand a better chance of getting a fair go in their workplaces after the State Government's announcement of a $4million package to protect workplace rights, the Australian Workers' Union said today.

  • Condolences for AWU Victorian Branch President Mick Eagles and family
    25 April 2007
    Message from AWU State Secretary Cesar Melhem, on behalf of the AWU Victorian Branch:

  • Supporting Victorian Firefighters and their families
    01 April 2007
    The following article from the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper pays tribute to the families of Victorian firefighters, including those of AWU DSE and Parks Victoria members.

  • AWU Joins Victorian Government In Celebrating Our Firefighters
    14 March 2007
    The Australian Workers Union welcomes Premier Steve Bracks announcement of several thank you functions for Victorian firefighters.

  • AWA claims 'disturb' advocate*
    08 March 2007
    Victoria's workplace rights advocate is investigating allegations duress is being applied to aircraft maintenance workers to sign individual employment agreements that unions fear will set a precedent in the aviation sector.

  • National Effort Can Solve Water Crisis
    19 February 2007
    The following opinion piece by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten was published in The Australian on Monday 19 February 2007.

  • The AWU Goes To El Salvador
    15 February 2007
    In May and June of 2006, Samantha Bond, Training Officer with the AWU Victoria branch, took a journey on behalf of the AWU to a small village in El Salvador - San Francisco Menendez. The purpose of the visit was to assist 64 year old Melbourne based Salvadoran woman, Dora Jordan, to buy sewing machines and equipment to set up sewing classes for the women in the village.

  • Bill Shorten Honored With AWU Life Membership
    12 February 2007
    AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten has been awarded life membership of the AWU at the unions biennial National Conference.

  • Lessons To Be Learnt From Gas Leak
    09 February 2007
    The Australian Workers Union welcomes WorkSafes prohibition on specific operations at a Sunshine North industrial gas supplier that was the source of a leak of sulphur dioxide earlier today (Friday 9 February 2007.)

  • Time's Up For Deadly Chemical
    07 February 2007
    The following opinion piece by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten was published in The Weekly Times newspaper on 7 February 2007.

  • AWU AJAX Members' Entitlements Secured
    06 February 2007
    FORMER AJAX workers have resolved to accept an $8 million deal for the business to be sold to Specifix, bringing to a successful end the AWUs six-month fight to secure their entitlements.

  • Workers' Health Must Come First
    31 January 2007
    The Australian Workers Union notes commitments by the Minister of Agriculture that diazinon will be phased out, twelve years after the AWU started calling for just that.

  • AWU Calls For Qantas Jobs Guarantee
    31 January 2007
    The Australian Workers Union remains unconvinced APAs bid to takeover Qantas is in the national interest, but notes APAs letter promising employees business as usual if its bid is successful.


  • Sacked Ajax Workers Gather Tomorrow To Mark A Sad Christmas
    15 December 2006
    More than 150 AJAX workers will gather TOMORROW (Saturday 16 December) to give each other and their families support during an anxious Christmas period.

  • Ajax Workers Take Their Fight On The Road Tomorrow
    10 December 2006
    Ajax workers - stood down without pay for nearly a fortnight - will land on the doorsteps of Holden, Ford and brake manufacturer PBR tomorrow (Monday 11 December 2006), before marching through the streets of Geelong.

  • Angry Workers March On Holden
    07 December 2006
    The 15-kilometre march by AWU AJAX members was reported in the following article in the Herald Sun on Thursday 7 December 2006:

  • Ajax Workers To March To Holden Plant To Plead For Support For Aussie Jobs
    06 December 2006
    Ajax workers - stood down without pay for more than a week - will march from their Braeside workplace to Holdens Dandenong plant tomorrow (Wednesday 6 December) to put pressure on the car giant to back Aussie jobs.

  • Letter From State Secretary - Please Help Our AJAX Members
    05 December 2006
    We need your help to secure justice for our AJAX members.I am writing to plead for your assistance in supporting your fellow members at AJAX Fasteners, who are facing a very bleak Christmas.

  • AWU Women's Forum 2007
    04 December 2006
    In 2006 the AWU Victoria Branch held its inaugural Womens Seminar on International Womens Day.

  • AWU Secures Breathing Space For Ajax Workers
    01 December 2006
    The Australian Workers Union will turn up the heat on the major car companies and Ajaxs majority owner after averting the mass sacking of more than 180 Ajax workers today.

  • Car Companies Do The Dirty On Loyal Ajax Workers
    29 November 2006
    Holden and Ford had treated loyal, hard-working Australian workers disgracefully by today reneging on their agreement to keep car component factory Ajax operating until next March, the Australian Workers Union said.

  • Ajax Workers Expected To Be Stood Down Tomorrow
    26 November 2006
    More than 180 workers at Melbourne car component factory Ajax Fasteners are expected to be stood down indefinitely tomorrow (Monday 27 November) following a breakdown in talks.

  • Bright Future For AWU Pilkington Members
    22 November 2006
    AWU Pilkington members are rejoicing following the companys announcement of a $133 million investment that will secure their jobs and give them pride in producing environmentally advanced glass products, the AWU said today.

  • Sigh Of Relief For Qantas Engineers
    22 November 2006
    Qantas has made the right decision today in retaining its heavy maintenance operation at Tullamarine, backing the skills and dedication of more than 200 maintenance engineers, the AWU said.

  • Cancer Cup Winners
    15 November 2006
    Challenge Cancer Support Network is the real winner as employees compete to raise much needed funds.

  • AWU wins for Melbourne and Olympic Parks workers
    10 November 2006
    The AWU's win on behalf of Melbourne and Olympic Parks members was highlighted in the following article from the Australian Financial Review, 10 November 2006

  • New Minimum Award Rates for Victorian Branch Pastoral Members
    9 November 2006
    State Secretary Cesar Melhem advises Pastoral Members of their new AWU Members Shearing Industry Rates Of Pay

  • AWU Bombardier Members Welcome Contract Announcement
    08 November 2006
    AWU members at train manufacturer Bombardier are overjoyed with todays announcement by the Bracks Government of an in-principle agreement with the company to build 14 new Vlocity carriages, the Australian Workers Union said today.


  • New Standard To Protect Workers From Federal Laws
    03 November 2006
    A Bracks Government will introduce a new Pay and Conditions Standard to further protect vulnerable Victorian workers from the Federal Governments workplace laws.

  • Rescued Beaconsfield Miners To Address AWU Conference Tomorrow
    30 October 2006
    Rescued Beaconsfield miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb will celebrate the release of Bad Ground: Inside The Beaconsfield Mine Rescue in an address to the AWU Tasmanian Branchs annual conference in Hobart tomorrow (Tuesday 31 October).

  • Safety Boost for Victorian Miners and Oil Workers
    24 October 2006
    The safety of Victorian miners and oil workers would be further protected under new Victorian Government arrangements, the Australian Workers Union said today.

  • Vote Of Confidence In Ajax Administrators
    23 October 2006
    The administrators of Global Engineered Fasteners Pty Ltd (trading as Ajax Engineered Fasteners), which collapsed two months ago, will continue to run the company for at least another 60 days following a vote at a creditors meeting today.

  • Workers Urged to Encourage Young People To Enrol to Vote
    11 October 2006
    Victorian workers and parents are being urged to encourage young people to enrol to vote.


  • WorkSafe Seminar In Review
    04 October 2006
    Over 100 AWU Health and Safety Reps attend the WorkSafe Week Seminar

  • Light At End of Tunnel For Qantas Engineers
    20 September 2006
    AWU Qantas maintenance engineers in Melbourne and Sydney have endorsed an in-principle enterprise agreement that would secure existing conditions and deliver a 9% pay increase without trade-offs.

  • Brave Ajax Workers Return to Work
    23 August 2006
    Ajax workers have voted unanimously to return to work tomorrow, following the striking of a deal between the major car companies and administrator Price Waterhouse Coopers

  • 189 Ajax Workers Occupy Factory
    18 August 2006
    189 employees of auto component manufacturer Ajax Fasteners in Melbournes Eastern Suburbs were stood down at 7 am this morning by the companys Administrators Price Waterhouse Coopers

  • Victoria welcomes Cesar Melhem as new State Secretary
    14 August 2006
    In a letter sent out to AWU members, Bill Shorten National Secretary officially introduces the new Victoria Branch Secretary, Cesar Melhem to the membership.

  • Call For End To Cemetery Trusts Acting as 'Secret Societies'
    19 July 2006
    The Australian Workers Union has today called on the Victorian Government to crackdown on the states cemetery trusts, following the Auditor-Generals finding that some trusts had committed inappropriate acts, including paying cemetery executives too highly.

  • Victorian Jockeys Get Fairer Ride
    08 July 2006
    The increasing work demands on Victorian jockeys have been recognised under a new collective agreement that will deliver riders $100 more per week on average, and set a new Australian benchmark for jockey remuneration.

  • Australia's Oldest Continuous Union Notches Up Another Milestone
    15 June 2006
    The Australian Workers Union will celebrate 120 years of continuous service to working Australians tomorrow (Friday 16 June) by returning to its roots in Ballarat for a commemorative march and dinner.

  • AWU Delegates To Hear How Howard's Workplace Laws Have Harmed Victorian Families
    05 March 2006
    The AWU-Victorian Branch will mark the 1st year anniversary of the Howard Government's unfair workplace laws at a General Meeting for Delegates on 27 March, 2007.

  • Qantas Workers Campaign to Keep their Jobs in Australia
    27 February 2006
    Qantas maintenance workers at Melbourne Airport will meet today as a part of their campaign against Qantas outsourcing their jobs to Asia.

  • A message from National & Victorian Branch Secretary Bill Shorten
    02 February 2006
    Fellow AWU members, I am writing to tell you that this Friday I will nominate to be the Labor Party Candidate for the seat of Maribyrnong in the 2007 Federal Election.

  • AWU 2009 RDO Calendar (36 hour week)
    October 2008
    The AWU has prepared our 2009 RDO calendar for those members who work a 36-hour week.

All electoral matter is authorised by Cesar Melhem, Branch Secretary
685 Spencer Street, West Melbourne, VIC 3003
Email: victoria@awu.net.au
Members Hotline: 1300 362 298