Union amalgamations as a basis for union renewal in Australia: insights from unfinished business

John Buchanan

Abstract

For many in the labour movement, union mergers are viewed as a viable means of renewing labour organisations. This paper highlights the ongoing Australian experience with union mergers. In the first half of the 1990s, the number of Australian unions was halved as Australian Labour Party initiatives, supported by the labour movement, decreased the number of unions through amalgamations. Analysis of the mergers finds that union mergers have diverse forms, factional allegiances drive many mergers, and that mergers require strong transitional leadership and significant resources. Finally, union amalgamations by themselves do very little to reverse general trends of union decline.