Over recent years, participation and membership in Australian unions have fallen, from around 41% of the working population in 1992 to roughly 12.5% of employees today–approximately 1.4 million people.
Contributing factors include less trust in union leaders, tougher labor laws limiting recruitment mechanisms, legislation restricting unions from accessing workplaces, and changes to the workplace, where more people work remotely and have less contact with or reason to rely on union representation.
Another relevant aspect is accountability. Unions hoping to improve engagement in important union elections in Australia must reestablish confidence while overcoming barriers to voting in Australian union elections.
Unions focused on growth and positioning themselves as reliable, credible organizations are increasingly using union voting software and digital meetings to boost attendance, showcase their values, and broaden their messaging to attract new members.
The challenge is clear: if workers cannot see a tangible benefit to union membership, do not trust union leaders to represent their interests, and find it difficult to make their opinions heard, they do not have a reason to consider joining. Confidence is paramount, with a ‘trust barometer’ survey conducted in 2022 showing that just over half of Australian people feel they can count on the government to “do the right thing,” with sharp drops in faith in businesses, media outlets, and NGOs to be honest and transparent.
This pattern is replicated across industries and sectors, with 61% of the public stating they perceive that leaders in society are deliberately misleading or make false exaggerations. In this climate, it is more important than ever that union leaders showcase why they should be relied upon to advocate for workers, protect their rights, and negotiate terms, working conditions, and pay deals without any potential for unethical activities.
Fortunately, unions facing declining membership and less power and relevance can take several steps to reinforce their position and demonstrate the values, missions, and purposes they exist to fulfill.
Unions should already disclose compensation paid to the five highest-paid officials, leaders, or officers, but going above this mandatory disclosure and offering members clarification about union funds, sponsorships, deals, and contributions, alongside details about how those revenues and members' funds are spent, is essential.
Rules dictate that union leaders with a personal interest, financial stake, or connection to a deal, negotiation, or contrast should report this. Some issues are related to second or third-party links to the economic aspects of a union's affairs, and union leaders should ensure these secondary connections are also clear or that alternative officials manage negotiations to avoid a conflict of interest.
The Registered Organisations Commission was established in 2017 to improve the accountability of organizations, including registered unions. Australian unions are held to standards similar to those imposed on profit-making companies. Complying fully with record-keeping, following rules and codes of conduct, hosting democratic elections, and submitting annual returns is crucial.
Finally, unions can use the ElectionBuddy platform for online voting systems, ballots, reporting, and communications about the outcomes of elections, nominations, member votes, and other events, ensuring that all parties can see how and why a result has been reached and have confidence that these events are held, managed, and supervised appropriately. This ensures compliance with the rules mentioned above and enables unions to proactively report and share information with members, eliminating any potential doubt, perceptions of wrongdoing, or unfairness about how leaders are elected!
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