Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
10 DECEMBER 2024
PRIVATE SECTOR UNION MEMBERSHIP AT RECORD LOW, DESPITE ALBANESE TRYING TO BOOST UNION POWER
Private sector employees across Australia are continuing to abandon their membership of trade unions, with figures released today showing that only 7.9% of Australians employed in the private sector are union members.
The fall in membership comes despite the Albanese Government changing numerous workplace laws specifically to benefit the trade union movement, which coincidentally donates millions of dollars to the Labor Party every year.
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Michaelia Cash, said the fall in private sector union membership showed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese once again had the wrong priorities.
“Mr Albanese has given his trade union donors nearly everything they want – virtually unrestricted entry into nearly all workplaces, more power to undertake strike action, a greater say in the bargaining process and reduced oversight of their activities. Despite all of his efforts, trade union membership in the private sector continues to go backwards,” she said.
“Mr Albanese’s capitulation to his union donors has come at a heavy cost to the Australian community, with supermarket shortages due to strikes, strike threats to train services and Qantas flights and potential blackouts due to electrical workers striking. This is on top of chaos in the construction sector, thanks to Mr Albanese handing effective control of the sector to his donors in the CFMEU,” Senator Cash said.
In light of today’s figures, Senator Cash called on Mr Albanese to abandon his push to re-unionise the mining sector.
“The mining sector contributes hundreds of billions of dollars to the Australian economy each year, yet Mr Albanese wants to put all that at risk by granting sweetheart deals to his mining union mates. His sweetheart deals with the CFMEU in the construction sector have seen Australians paying billions of dollars in inflated infrastructure costs and building sites run by bikies,” Senator Cash said.
Senator Cash said Mr Albanese also needed to rule out introducing bargaining fees for non-union members, which many unions have publicly called for.
“With union membership plummeting, many unions are calling for non-union employees to be charged ‘bargaining fees’ for their services. This is completely unacceptable. Mr Albanese needs to publicly rule out unions being able to charge bargaining fees to non-union members or their employers. Unfortunately, he is too gutless to do so,” Senator Cash said.
ENDS
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