Trade Union entry Municipal Employees Association of Australia (1910 - 1914)

Summary

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.

Related entries

Timeline

 1910 - 1914 Municipal Employees Association of Australia
       1914 - 1917 Federated Municipal Employees Association of Australia
             1917 - 1993 Federated Municipal & Shire Council Employees Union of Australia
                   1993 - 1994 Australian Municipal Administrative Clerical & Services Union (i)
                         1994 - Australian Municipal Administrative Clerical & Services Union (ii)

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Oral History Collection

• Peter McMahon interviewed by Richard Raxworthy in the Labor Council of New South Wales oral history project, 1988, ORAL TRC 1948/41; National Library of Australia Oral History Collection. Details

The Noel Butlin Archives Centre, ANU Archives Program

• Federated Municipal Employees Association of Australia - Records, 1913 - 1946, T18; The Noel Butlin Archives Centre, ANU Archives Program. Details
• Federated Municipal Employees Association of Australia - Records, 1913 - 1929, M29; The Noel Butlin Archives Centre, ANU Archives Program. Details

The University of Melbourne Archives

• Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees Union of Australia, Victorian Branch - Records, 1885 - 1983, 1988.0071; The University of Melbourne Archives. Details

Published resources

Books

• Best, Alleyn, The History of the Municipal Employees Union in Victoria 1885-1985, Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees' Union of Australia - Victoria Division, Carlton, Victoria, 1986, 88 pp. Details

Online Resources

• 'Chart 6: Trade Unions - Administrative Services and Local Government', in Parties to the Award, 2002, http://www.atua.org.au/ptta/027.html. Details