Brian Boyd (unionist)

Brian Boyd was elected secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council on 5 May 2005, succeeding Leigh Hubbard in this position, one of Australia's most powerful trade union roles. He is longstanding member of Birds Australia, now called BirdLife Australia.

Mr Boyd worked for the Builders Labourers Federationfrom late 1979 to 1988 which included the period when the BLF was deregistered. He has also coordinated Victoria's building unions, and worked as an industrial and campaigns officer with the Victorian Trades Hall.

In regard to the right to strike and industry-wide bargaining, Brian Boyd was reported in The Age in April 2007 "I'm arguing that there's still no unfettered right to strike, there are limitations on it; we might want to stop work to give consideration to the Iraq war, for instance," The statement was made in regard to the debate around the Federal Australian Labor PartyIR policy leading up to the 2007 Federal election.

In regard to Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA) Brian Boyd has voiced concern many may breach OHS law following statistics released in April by the major newspapers that claim 30% of AWAs do not allow workers to have rest breaks during scheduled hours of work. He has called AWAs that breach OHS regulations as criminal and asked that WorkSafe Victoria prosecute any employer found to have taken away this safety condition under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. "Workers are protected by occupational health and safety law. Our Victorian law says that the employer has to provide a safe system of work – and that includes decent rest breaks," Boyd said. "Employers think they can do what they want under Howard’s laws, but they are forgetting that state-based OHS laws still call them to account."

In May 2009 Brian Boyd was re-elected unopposed to the VTHC Secretaryship for a further 4 years.He has been a member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions(ACTU) Executive since 2005. On 2 May 2013 Brian Boyd was re elected for the third time as VTHC Secretary.He said he was looking forward to campaigning against Tony Abbott in the lead up to the next federal election due on the 14/9/13.

SOME BACKGROUND Brian Boyd was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 17 July 1951.He immigrated to Australia in 1956 with his father (Thomas Boyd),his mother (Sarah "Sadie" Boyd née Toan),his brother Leonard "Lenny" and sister Lynne.His youngest brother David was born in Australia.Brian grew up in the industrial Latrobe Valley, specifically Morwell where he graduated from Morwell High School in 1969.

From 1970 to 1976 he tried various tertiary institutions before graduating from Latrobe University with a BA Dip Ed. Between 1979 and 1991 he was married to fellow trade unionist Mary Bluett, having 3 children: Tiffany b 1981 (dec),Nicole b 1983,Rory b 1985. In 2010 (5/6) he married longtime partner Christine Thomas.

In Dec 2010 IR academic Gordon McCaskie, overseen by Swinburne University professor Dr Peter Love, successfully completed a master's degree based on a biographical thesis on Brian Boyd's industrial and political life.By Dec 2012 this thesis was published as:"Brian Boyd-A biography of a trade unionist"by Gordon McCaskie,ISBN 978-3-659-24215-1.Price 68 euros.Published by Lambert Academic Press (go to Google of L.A.P. then Title,then project Number 66228,then ISBN for ordering).

Boyd became world-renowned when he famously said, "John Howard is as welcome in Melbourne today as a yellow-bellied black snake at a barbecue!" at an anti-WorkChoices rally in 2006. At a "BUST THE BUDGET" rally in Melbourne 12 June 2014, Brian Boyd told the anti-Federal government protesters in Bourke St. that Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Treasurer Joe Hockey that they "as welcome in Melbourne today as two feral cane toads in a backyard swimming pool".