The value of Unions and the right to protest

Electrical Trades Union protest 2024 (c) Sentinel Owl

The formation and evolution of modern trade unions in the workplace dates back to the late 19th Century and the rapid changes in society brought by the Industrial Revolution. Prior to this, trade guilds of artisans have been shown to have existed as far back as the first century AD of the Roman Empire.  The advent of modern capitalism through the industrial revolution brought about significant changes in the basis of ''work' whereby the owners of capital engaged workers to provide labour for services and/or production of goods. The workers surrendered part of their rights of freedom and agency to take instructions from their employer (or master) in order to earn a wage. This process and unequal level of power for workers in turn led to the organisation of labour into unions to enable workers to protect themselves from complete exploitation. Over the past two centuries, these organisations have envolved and changed with the ebb and flow of economies, technological innovation and changing industrial relations laws.

Australia has long history of trade unions, derived in part from the influence of Mother England and the previous colonial period. Membership of trade unions has been declining as shown by research data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. As at December 2022 -

• 12.5% of employees in the total workforce were trade union members
• Since 1992, the proportion of employees who were trade union members has fallen from 41% to 12.5%
• The Education and training industry (30%) and the Professionals occupation group (19%) had the highest rates of trade union membership.

Source link: Trade union membership  

Nonetheless these organisations remain a potent and relevant party in the industrial relations landscape.

This year, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) representing the electricians and power industry workers has staged their campaign for higher wages via a Log of Claims to energy provider, Ausgrid and placed their protest outside the television studios of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Ultimo, Sydney. It's a visually impactful and almost humourous presentation with large inflatables, even as the topic is a serious one (as shown in the images in this posting).