Mining And Energy Union
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The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) is Australia's main
trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
in the
coal industry Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
, which includes mines, power stations and ports. It also covers workers in the metalliferous mining and exploration industries, as well as specific classes of workers working in the oil, gas, nuclear, chemical production and power generation industries. The MEU is affiliated with the
Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...
(ACTU) and the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
(ALP). The MEU was registered on 1 December 2023, following the organisation withdrawing from its amalgamation with the
Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) is Australia's largest Trade union, union in the construction, forestry, wikt:maritime, maritime, Textile manufacturing, textile, Clothing industry, clothing and Shoemaking, footw ...
(CFMEU). Internationally, the MEU is affiliated with IndustriALL. It has a membership of over 24,500 as of September 2023.


History

The Mining and Energy Union consists of a number of unions which have amalgamated. The largest union to contribute was the
Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation The Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation (often known as the Miners' Federation of Australia) was an Australian trade union representing workers in the coal mining industry from 1913 to 1990. It was first federally registered in 1913 ...
(commonly referred to as the Miners' Federation) which has a continuous history since 1915. Predecessor unions have been traced back to the mid-19th century. Following the Second World War the Federation led the
1949 Australian coal strike The 1949 Australian coal strike was the first time that Australian military forces were used during peacetime to break a trade union strike. The strike by 23,000 coal miners lasted for seven weeks, from 27 June 1949 to 15 August 1949, with troop ...
, seeking a 35-hour week, a 30-shilling increase in wages, and the inclusion of long service leave as a normal condition of employment. This action resulted in the
Chifley government The Chifley government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1945 to 1949. Background A week after Labor ...
sending the army into the mines to break the strike. While the union was unsuccessful in achieving all of their objectives, the strike did result in the institution of long service leave into the coal mine award. In 1990, the Federation amalgamated with the Federated Mining Mechanics' Association of Australasia to form the United Mineworkers' Federation of Australia. This amalgamation gave the union coverage over mines mechanics. In 1992 the union, then known as the United Mineworkers' Federation of Australia, merged with several other unions including the
Building Workers' Industrial Union The Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia was an Australian trade union covering workers in the construction industry. Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Australia It was originally established as the Australian District ...
(BWIU) and the Federated Engine Drivers & Firemens' Association of Australasia (FEDFA) to form the
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) is Australia's largest Trade union, union in the construction, forestry, wikt:maritime, maritime, Textile manufacturing, textile, Clothing industry, clothing and Shoemaking, footw ...
(CFMEU). Throughout their tenure in the CFMEU the union strongly opposed the introduction of individual contracts, such as the controversial Australian workplace agreements, in favour of traditional
collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...
. This led to a number of actions opposing their introduction, such as the 1995 Weipa dispute. The union opposed the introduction of
WorkChoices WorkChoices was the name given to changes made to the federal industrial relations laws in Australia by the Howard government#Fourth term: 2004–2007, Howard government in 2005, being amendments to the ''Workplace Relations Act 1996'' by the '' ...
, the Howard government's 2005 amendment to the
Workplace Relations Act 1996 The ''Workplace Relations Act 1996'' was an Australian law regarding workplace conditions and rights passed by the Howard government after it came into power in 1996. It replaced the previous Labor Government's '' Industrial Relations Act 198 ...
. The amendment streamlined the creation of AWAs and scrapped many protections against unfair dismissal. The laws also increased restrictions on union officials to exercise their right of entry, excluded the provision for union health and safety training, and reduced coal mineworkers' long service leave entitlements. The CFMEU would go on to merge with the
Maritime Union of Australia The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) was a union which covered waterside workers, seafarers, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. The MUA was formed in 1993 with merger of the Seamen's Un ...
and the
Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) was a trade union in Australia. It represented a wide range of workers from the textile, clothing, footwear and felt hatting industries. The TCFUA was formed 1 July 1992 by the mer ...
in 2018, forming the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU). The MEU formally withdrew from the CFMMEU in 2023 to form the Mining and Energy Union. In a ballot ordered by the Fair Work Commission, Mining and Energy Division members voted 98% in favour of withdrawing from the CFMMEU to form an independent registered organisation. After receiving approval from the Federal Court, the Mining and Energy Union was registered as a standalone union on 1 December 2023.


United Collieries

On 7 February 1975, all 30 workers at the Nymboida Colliery near
Grafton, New South Wales Grafton ( Bundjalung: ''Gumbin Gir'') is a city in the Northern Rivers region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located on the Clarence River, on a floodplain, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital Sydney. ...
were notified of their dismissal on 14 February. The owners of the mine, Nymboida Colliery Pty Ltd. declared bankruptcy, leaving the workers with little hope in receiving the approximately $70,000 of entitlements owed to them. The workers, all of whom had worked at the mine for over a decade, and 25 of them Miners' Federation members, were convinced of the mines continued viability. In a meeting on Sunday 16 February, they resolved to stage a
work-in A work-in is a form of direct action under which workers whose jobs are under threat resolve to remain in their place of employment and to continue producing, without pay. Their intention is usually to show that their place of work still has long- ...
, and the following day all returned to the mine and continued to work. On March 11 1975, at a conference in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, Nymboida Collieries Pty Ltd. officially agreed to transfer the lease of the mine to the Miners' Federation. The mine would continue to fuel its only client, the local Koolkhan Power Station until 1979, when the station was decommissioned. On 31 August 1979, Nymboida Colliery would officially close. Under the 1970 amendment to the NSW Mining Act 1906, operators of mines due to close were eligible to apply for a replacement lease on a new mine. The NSW Government under Premier Neville Wran granted the Federation a lease in the rich Upper Hunter Coalfields adjoining the Wambo coal mine. The Federation would partner with Wambo and Italian company
Agip Agip S.p.A., acronym for Azienda generale italiana petroli, was an Italian automotive gasoline, Diesel fuel, diesel, Liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, lubricants, fuel oil, and bitumen retailer established in 1926 and Subsidiary company, subsidiary ...
to form United Collieries.


Structure

The Mining and Energy Union consists of six districts, aligned with the historical demarcations of the predecessor unions. * Northern Mining and NSW Energy District – Covers coal mining, processing and transport in NSW north of Sydney, including in the Hunter Valley and the Newcastle coal port. The District also covers coal-fired electricity generation throughout NSW, as well as metalliferous mining. * Queensland District – Covers coal mining, processing and coal-fired electricity generation throughout Queensland, including in the Bowen Basin. The District also covers some workers in the Queensland metalliferous mining industry through the 1990 amalgamation with the FEDFA. * NSW South West District – Covers coal mining in NSW south of Sydney, particularly on the South Coast and in the Illawarra region. The District also covers Western NSW, including metalliferous mines. * Western Australian District – Covers coal mining and processing in WA, including in the Pilbara and Collie. Also covers some workers in the metalliferous mining industry, and works alongside the
Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoralism, pastoral and mining industries in the late 1880s and it currently has approximately 80,000 ...
in the Western Mineworkers' Alliance. * Victorian District – Covers coal mining and processing in Victoria, as well as being the major union representing workers in the Victorian power generation industry. * Tasmanian District – Covers coal mining and processing in Tasmania. Also covers some workers in the metalliferous industry.


Leadership

* National ** General President – Tony Maher ** General Vice President – Stephen Smyth ** General Secretary – Grahame Kelly * Northern Mining and NSW Energy District ** District President – Robin Williams ** District Secretary – Shane Thompson * Queensland District ** District President – Mitch Hughes ** District Secretary – Glenn Power * NSW South West District ** District President – Bob Timbs ** District Secretary – Andy Davey * Western Australian District ** District President – Robert Sanford ** District Secretary – Greg Busson * Victorian District ** District President – Andy Smith ** District Secretary – Mark Richards * Tasmanian District ** District President – Ricky Gale


Mineworkers' Trust

Following the founding of United Collieries, the union established the Mineworkers' Trust. The trust awards annual scholarships to the dependants of the union's members and also award funds to mining community organisations, welfare groups, and projects. A royalty for each tonne of coal sold under the United Collieries lease is deposited in the trust, and millions of dollars have been awarded since it was established.


''Common Cause''

The Mining and Energy Union's newspaper, ''Common Cause'', has been consistently published since its inception in 1921. Originally, the newspaper was circulated to mining communities and sites. It provides industry news and opinions from the union's perspective. In 2019, following the retirement of editor Paddy Gorman, ''Common Cause'' shifted to an online newsletter model. It is directly distributed to all union members, with a print
year-in-review {{Unreferenced, date=March 2020 A year-in-review is any sort of annual publication that covers the events of the past year from the perspective of the contributors to the publication. Years-in-review are often intended to highlight the highs and lo ...
issue published annually.


References

{{reflist Trade unions in Australia