Trade Unions – A highly regulated and supervised future…

Introduction

Trade unions have been a central feature of Australia's industrial, social and political framework since Federation (1901). They remain so today, despite changes in Australia's economic and social circumstances over that 120 year period. However, their membership levels have been in steady and recently more rapid decline, particularly over the last forty years – ie from a situation in 1976 where unions enrolled about 57% of the Australian workforce as members, to one where in 2016 that percentage has declined to about 16% (indeed only 9% in the private sector).

The reasons for that decline in numbers are complex and multi faceted, and are at least partly related to the profound changes in the Australian economy and social attitudes since the Second World War.