Decline of Australian Unionism Essay 2022

Running Head: DECLINE OF TRADE UNIONS IN AUSTRALIA 0
Decline of Australian
Unionism
Student details:

DECLINE OF TRADE UNIONS IN AUSTRALIA 1
The following essay is based on sudden weakening of trade union membership in last
three and a half decades. It explains the functions and importance of trade union membership. As
per the data of Australian bureau of statistics, the trade union membership within Australia has
deteriorated since 1980s. The essay highlights key reasons behind the immediate drop of trade
union membership or density in nation in last thirty-five years. The essay includes the views of
experts like David Peetz over the decline of trade unions density in Australia.
Trade union system refers to community/ committee or group of workers who are works
in an organization and keeps check on the actions of the employers. The members of trade union
seek their interests at workplace by negotiating with employers on payment and working
conditions. Major objectives of trade union are to secure bonus for the employees from the gross
profits produced by organization and to provide legal support to the workers related to the matter
of clashes regarding the working conditions and wage rates. The trade union also focuses on
ensuring stable job role for the workers and resists the pattern of administration, which decrease
job opportunities. In Australia, there is Australian Council of Trade Union, which is the ultimate
body, signifying workers in Australia. The objectives of ACTU are socialization of industries,
ensuring the formulation of working laws within the organization. It also ensures optimum
utilization of Australian resources to maintain employment and ensures basic living standards
(Australian Council of Trade Union, 2019).
It was noticed that the trade union participation has steadily declined since the early
1980s. According to the experts, there are various reasons behind the decline of trade union
membership. David Peetz has described three key factors which have caused sudden decline of
union membership/density: structural change in labor marketplace, response of union members
over the new working strategies developed by employers and most importantly the change in
institutional factors Unions in a Contrary World: The Future of the Australian Trade Union
Movement (Peetz, 1998). The table one represents total quantity of trade union associates in
1990-98. It can be observed that the density of union has continuously declined (see table 1).
Year Members
[million]
Union
Density
[%]
1990 2.66 40.5
1994 2.28 35.0
1995 2.25 32.7
1996 2.19 31.1
1997 2.11 30.3
1998 2.04 28.1

DECLINE OF TRADE UNIONS IN AUSTRALIA 2
Table 1
The Table below depicts decrease in the union density in the next eight years from 1990 to 1998
on the grounds of sexual category, employment status and sector.
Table 2 Source: ABS Cat. 6325.0 and 6310.0
UNION DENSITY
Gender Sector Employment Status
Year Males Females Public Private Casual Permanent
1990 45.0 34.6 66.8 30.8 18.8 45.7
1994 39.1 22.9 62.3 26.0 14.7 41.3
1995 35.7 29.1 56.4 25.1 13.9 39.4
1996 33.5 28.1 55.4 24.0 13.1 37.4
1997 33.0 26.9 54.7 23.3 13.8 36.0
1998 30.0 25.8 52.9 21.4 11.6 34.2