Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union
 | |
| Full name | Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 March 1993 |
| Members | 35,000 |
| Affiliation | ACTU, ITF |
| Key people | Bob Nanva (National Secretary) |
| Office location |
Trades Hall, 4 Goulburn Street Sydney, New South Wales Australia |
| Country |
 |
| Website | http://www.rtbu.org.au |
The Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union (RTBU), formerly known as the Public Transport Union or PTU, was formed on 1 March 1993, through the amalgamation of the Australian Railways Union, the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen, the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association and the National Union of Rail Workers' of Australia. This amalgamation effectively created one transport industry union for the first time in Australia. The RTBU is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Internationally, the RTBU is affiliated with the International Transport Workers' Federation.
History
Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen
Tramways Union
Frank Anstey helped found the Australian Tramway Employees’ Association in 1910 and served as its president for a number of years. Another prominent member was Lionel Hill, who was Secretary of the South Australia state branch from 1910 to 1924 and the union federal President from 1912 to 1924. He was elected as the Labor member for East Torrens to the South Australian House of Assembly in 1915, became Premier in 1926 and for a second term from the 1930 state election.
Brisbane General Strike
On 18 January 1912 members who worked on the Brisbane tramways were stood down for wearing union badges. The dispute escalated to the general issue of the right to join a union and the Brisbane trades and labour council initiated a general strike, known as the 1912 Brisbane General Strike, which lasted for five weeks.
Deregistration
The union became the Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees’ Association [AT&MOEA] in 1934. When this union was deregistered in 1950 over the one man tram dispute in Melbourne, its members created, within the same year, a new union of the same name.
Australian Railways Union
In Victoria, railway labourers formed the Mutual Services Association [MSA] in 1884 and looked to incorporate the various trades and crafts within the industry in a single powerful railway union, but remained largely unsuccessful in this attempt. The MSA retained a high rate of membership throughout the 1890s, and in 1900 changed its name to the Amalgamated Society of Railway Employees [ASRE]. In 1911 the ASRE and cognate organisations voted overwhelmingly to form a united Victorian Railways Union, which, in 1921 became the Victorian Branch of the Australian Railways Union [ARU].
National Union of Rail Workers of Australia
The National Union of Railwaymen of Australia was first registered under the Commonwealth's industrial relations legislation in March 1933. However, it was to last only until July 1933 before it was deregistered. Many members of this original union were eventually covered by a second union of the same name, which registered in 1938. The Union continued under this name until 1982 when it changed to the National Union of Rail Workers of Australia.
Structure
It is organised into National Divisions, covering Infrastructure; Rail Operations; Tram and Bus; Locomotive; Workshops and Salaried and Professional. There are six state branches, with the National Office located in Sydney:
- New South Wales
- Queensland and Western Australia
- Northern Territory
- South Australia
- Victoria
- Tasmania