Labor Council of New South Wales

The Labor Council was formed by six unions in 1871, and originally called the Trades & Labor Council of Sydney. The council experienced rapid growth during its early history, with the number of affiliated unions tripling between 1885 and 1890, and total membership reaching 35,000 in that year, or 60% of union members in the Colony of New South Wales. By 1891, 21.5% of all employees in the colony were union members, making it the most organised workforce in the world. Union organisation in the colony suffered badly during the economic depression of the 1890s, due to high unemployment, aggressive anti-union policies of employers and a number of large, unsuccessful strikes including the 1890 Australian maritime dispute and the 1891 Australian shearers strike.

In 1894, the Trades & Labor Council of Sydney changed its name to the Sydney District of Australasian Labour Federation. In 1900, it again changed its name to the Sydney Labor Council, changing again eight years later to the Labor Council of New South Wales. In 2005, it adopted the brand name UnionsNSW for all public purposes, but retained the official name Labor Council of New South Wales.

Responsibilities

The Labor Council of New South Wales is responsible for:

implementing Australian Council of Trade Unions policy within New South Wales

co-ordinating union activities and campaigns, involving more than one union

providing assistance with research, negotiations and advocacy to affiliated organisations

lobbying State Parliament for social and industrial reforms

providing a public point of contact for general enquiries on New South Wales unions

management of the Sydney Trades Hall, which was transferred in 2002 to the Labor Council from the original trustees, the Trades Hall Association.