We know that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has hit UWU members hard. So, it’s important that you know your union never takes members’ money – our budget – for granted and ensures that we spend every dollar wisely. Here’s a budget breakdown to demystify how much of our budget is spent on what.
Our budget is run for members, by members
Our Member Council, made up of members from a range of industries across the country. The council oversees and approves how our budget is spent. And because we’re non-profit, you can be sure our funds are always put back into the organisation. Our number one priority is supporting UWU members.
We’ve broken our budget down into 6 different areas:
- Organising and workplace support
- Administrative costs
- Workplace advice and support
- Campaigns and communications
- Training, workshops and events
- Union movement strength
Let’s have a look at each area in more detail.
Organising and on-site support: 49% of budget
We provide support at your worksite when you need it
Almost half of our funds go towards supporting and organising at your workplace. We call this on-site support. We have people in every state and territory who come and visit, listen, inform, educate, organise and negotiate to ensure you and your co-workers have a safe workplace, get paid properly and are treated fairly. Visiting worksites is the best way for us to understand how your workplace operates, so it’s how the bulk of our funds are spent.
Our organising activities also include our Member Rights Team (MRT), who take calls, give advice and can refer you to the right team where necessary. Some workplaces don’t have a union delegate or are very remote – if that’s you, your first contact will probably be with MRT.
ADMINISTRATive costs: 21% of budget
Who looks after the budget and memberships?
UWU has more than 150,000 members. It takes a big chunk of the budget just to manage that many members.
Our IT team keeps all our member data safe. (Don’t worry, they do an excellent job.)
Our Finance team ensures our budget stays on track, organises our member tax statements (so you get your fees back) and manages our funds responsibly and according to the law. The finance team’s work includes ensuring the accounts are audited by external auditors, and everything is properly accounted for.
Workplace advice and support: 9% of budget
We keep your legal costs down
We provide legal expertise and representation for members when things go wrong at work. It’s one of the top reasons members join.
As well as winning back money that’s owed to workers, our industrial officers ensure Enterprise Agreements don’t have any loopholes, help convert casuals to permanent employees with better entitlements, write a range of submissions each year for award wage increases, government inquiries etc, and conduct industry research to help us take on employers.
The numbers tell the story
So far, between January and March this year, UWU’s industrial officers have:
- recovered a whopping $4,168,318.62 in wages, entitlements, compensation and penalties for members
- continued 779 ongoing matters,
- finalised 46 matters and
- opened another 153
Since the beginning of the 2024/25 financial year, we’ve won back $7,945,936.87 for our members. Our industrial officers definitely punch above their weight.
Campaigns and communications: 7% of budget
We inform members and raise awareness about workers’ rights
We use email, the UWU website and social media to make sure we reach as many members (and potential members) as possible about workplace issues, and we raise awareness with the general public about our campaigns. If you don’t already, make sure you follow our socials.
Seen UWU in the media?
Public awareness gets support for members and puts pressure on employers to do better for workers. Our campaign for the Woolworths warehouse workers’ strike last year is a great example of how our Comms team is able to pull public support for our members, which puts pressure on big business to do the right thing.
Pleased with the election result?
This part of the budget also accounts for our political organising team who support members to get involved in election campaign activities like doorknocking, phone banking, flyering and more! Why? Well, the people elected to represent us get to make important decisions about not only our rights at work, but of course, health, education and social services. We want representatives who will listen to us!
TRAINING, WORKSHOPS & EVENTS: 3% of budget
We train you to become a leader at your workplace
We offer training and workshops for you to become a leader at your workplace. Taking advantage of this member-benefit is a great way to get to know other members. Member training offered includes:
- Delegate training,
- Health and Safety Representative (HSR) training
FREE member-only workshops
Our online workshop sessions draw on expertise in a wide range of topics relevant to work, such as:
- Mental Health,
- Discrimination,
- Leave Entitlements,
- Maximising Superannuation and more.
See the full 2025 program here.
Union movement strength: 4% of budget
We have affiliations with peak union bodies such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), and participate in broader campaigns that fight against big business who make giant profits off workers’ time, such as the Same Job, Same Pay campaign.
Unionism is a global movement. We work with international organisations such as APHEDA and IUF so that our funds help workers not just here in Australia, but across the world.
UWU members taking action
United Workers Union members aren’t afraid to stand up for what is right and fair. Over the last month we’ve seen courageous members from a range of industries speaking out and taking action for decent wages and conditions.
Whether members are working for big multi-national companies, or are employed by the public sector, they’re standing together and speaking truth to power.
Here are a few of the campaigns members have been leading over the last month.
UWU members from SA support services are ramping up their action for fair pay and respect!
South Australians rely on these workers when they are hurt, unwell, or simply need support. And United Workers Union members who work in state government disability support, hospitals, aged care facilities and schools are always there to give South Australians the support they need. But how can they give their best when they’re not respected, unsafe, and are fighting to provide for their own families?
“We are short-staffed daily because people can’t afford to work here. That means patients are stuck waiting in the emergency department or in an ambulance on the ramp because there simply aren’t enough workers to clean rooms and move patients.
“We’ve been pushed to the brink, and we’ve now been forced to escalate our action. Without us, hospitals wouldn’t function, and patient care would be compromised.
“It’s time for the Malinauskas Labor Government to back the workers who support South Australians. This means paying us a fair wage!” – Barb, Patient Services Attendant and UWU member. You can help! Sign the petition here!
Also in South Australia, workers who make popular snacks like Doritos, Smith’s chips and Twisties for PepsiCo have taken strike action. Their key demand is to be paid in line with other workers performing the same jobs at the Queensland site. PepsiCo workers in South Australia are paid 12% less than their Queensland counterparts, however, the prices of the products they make and package are the same Australia-wide.
PepsiCo made $2 billion in revenue and $106 million in profits in 2023 alone, and they manage to pay their global CEO Ramon Laguarta $49.3 million a year. Their refusal to meet workers’ wage demand is nothing more than corporate greed.
Show your support by signing their petition calling for a fair deal here.
Simultaneously, members who make bakery items at Allied Pinnacle, who supply major retailers like Coles, Woolworths and Baker’s Delight have also taken industrial action to get a fair deal.
Following a series of stoppages over a couple of weeks, the company bowed to worker pressure and improved their offer significantly. Keep an eye on our social media platforms to hear whether members vote up the new agreement.
Taking protected industrial action is not a decision members make lightly. It has serious financial implications for members and their families. However, when big employers (including our governments) fail to address workers’ concerns, treat us unfairly or try to hoard their wealth and avoid paying workers our fair share, we’re left with little choice.
Congratulations to all members who are sticking together and standing up for what’s right.
Why we campaign during elections
It’s been a month since we cast our ballots in the federal election, and there are still a few seats where the results aren’t final. What we can confirm however, is that in the Parliament we have a whopping twenty four United Workers Union members!
From the moment the election was called, United Workers Union members were out in force – on the phones, at the booths, on the streets. We campaigned for what matters: fair pay, secure jobs, and a better future.
And it worked. In every state and territory, we showed the power of a united movement.
The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, recognised the support of workers in his victory night speech when he paid tribute to “the mighty trade union movement of Australia” and said “the Labor Party will always stand up for jobs and people’s wages and conditions”.
So, what now?
In the PM’s speech, he said Labor would govern for “every Australian who wants a fair go at work, fair wages … for their work, and the right to disconnect when they are done with work”.
The Labor victory gives us real opportunities – but we need to keep up the pressure.
We’ve got political leaders on our side. We need to continue supporting them and holding them accountable to deliver real change for working people.
If you’d like to participate in future elections campaigns or get involved with political action with your union, fill out this form to let us know.
Reconciliation week 2025
Each year National Reconciliation week runs from 27th May to 3rd June. It begins and ends on two significant days.
On 27 May 1967 Australians voted to change the Constitution so that like all other Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population and the Commonwealth would be able to make laws for them. This date now marks the beginning of reconciliation week.
Every year on 3 June we celebrate Mabo Day, which commemorates the life of Eddie Koiki Mabo and marks the anniversary of the historic 1992 Mabo decision.
Eddie Mabo was a Torres Strait Islander man who challenged the claim that his family’s traditional land was owned by the Crown. The High Court’s decision overturned that claim and set a precedent in Australian law for the recognition of Indigenous custodianship over their traditional land.
The decision also overturned the colonial concept of terra nullius, Latin for ‘nobody’s land’. The Mabo decision was a watershed moment in Australian history. In addition to overturning a long-held colonial myth, it paved the way for subsequent native title claims.
This painting was created and gifted to all United Workers Union members and staff by the First Nations Round Table in South Australia during Reconciliation Week this year.
The First Nations Round Table is made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander union members from across the country and across our industries. They advise the union on issues facing First Nations workers, and lead cultural and political projects that build truth and justice within our movement.
This painting brings together the stories of Tagai, the constellations, the South Easterly wind, and yarning circles, representing Torres Strait and mainland Aboriginal knowledge systems.
It was created in response to the post-referendum moment, where confusion around Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement has revealed the need for deeper understanding and cultural safety. This painting and its companion calendar invite all of us to build what the artists call a “third cultural space”, grounded in truth, equality, and a shared commitment to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
It’s more than artwork, it’s an invitation to listen, learn, and walk together in solidarity.
Download the Significant Dates Calendar here to learn more about significant days throughout the year for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: https://dev.unitedworkers.org.au/nrw-calendar