Written by Sid Sidhu and Troy Wild, NRA Legal
Employee union, United Voice, is set to merge with the National Union of Workers (‘NUW’) following a signed Memorandum of Understanding by both organisations to explore options for a “new union model”.
The unions have revealed plans to meet in November to further examine how the merger might proceed.
If successful, the merger would result in a new organisation representing over 170,000 members. However, the final decision on any merger proposal remains subject to a members’ ballot.
“United Voice and the National Union of Workers agree that the purpose of a new union would be to build something that is strong and capable of adapting to the challenges facing working people today and into the future,” the statement said.
The proposed merger would unite workers in the food, beverage and manufacturing industries and follows legislation introduced by the Turnbull government to restrict union mergers.
“We have agreed to work together to design a big new union with the power to build a new economy, where every worker counts and where the voice of workers is at the heart of our economic and political system.”
What does this mean for your business?
United Voice is a dedicated union for hospitality workers and is one of the applicants challenging the penalty rates decision announced earlier this year by the Fair Work Commission. The union has demonstrated its willingness to litigate decisions that “enrich the corporate and political elite” and the possibility of amalgamation with NWU may provide United Voice with a greater pool of resources with which to do it. Separately, a merger between the two organisations may result in a smaller dedicated union to the hospitality industry.
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