Trade Union entry
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Australian Trade Union Archives
Trade Union entry
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Municipal Employees Association of Australia (1910 - 1914) |
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| Function: Trade Union (Federal) | ||||
| The Municipal Employees' Association of Australia can trace its history to 1885 when a small group of workers at Melbourne City Council formed themselves into the Corporation Labourers' Union. In 1910 the name was changed to the Municipal Employees' Association in order to reflect a wider membership from other councils and shires. In 1914, after attempting to form a federation with Tasmanian and New South Wales municipal unions with the aim of achieving an industry wide award, the title of Federated Municipal Employees' Association of Australia was registered in the Arbitration Commission. This was altered in 1917 to Federal Municipal and Shire Council Employees' Union of Australia, shortly before the first federal log of claims was served. However, the shorter title of Municipal Employees' Union was in common use from that time. As one of the first unions to try to gain a federal award under the Arbitration Act, its claim became a famous test case in Australian legal and industrial history. Known as the Municipalities Case, it led to a High Court challenge by councils on the power of the Arbitration Commission to make industry-wide agreements. This resulted in the first clear definition of industry, not only winning for the union its first award but opening the way for all unions to claim industry-wide awards. Operating virtually unchanged for another seventy-six years, the union finally merged with the Australian Municipal Transport Energy Water Ports Community & Information Services Union in 1993 to form the Australian Municipal Administrative Clerical & Services Union. See "online sources" for a pedigree chart of this entity. |
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| Reference/Legal Number(s): 037V | ||
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| Previous and Subsequent Entities 1910 - 1914 Municipal Employees Association of Australia | ||
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Published by University of Melbourne, 7 March 2002 Based on "Parties to the Award" published 1994. Submit any comments, questions, corrections and additions Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 29 June 2006 http://www.atua.org.au/biogs/ALE0641b.htm |