Full name Unite Office location Melbourne, Victoria Website www.unite.org.au | Founded 2006 Country Australia | |
Key people Anthony Main, secretary | ||
Unite is a trade union established in Melbourne, Australia. The union is not registered under the Fair Work Act 2009. Its secretary is Anthony Main, a Socialist Party member. Its inspiration is the Unite Union in New Zealand
Unite has stated its goal is to organise young workers in fast food and retail in Victoria. Its establishment has angered the union with registered coverage of these workers, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). It argued that having a rival union would create disunity when the focus should have been on John Howard and WorkChoices. Michael Donovan, Victorian SDA Secretary, said that the "...SDA is the union to look after the interests of young people in the retail industry and fast-food industry..."
Unite has stated that it believes the SDA to be a "weak union that prefers to cosy up to the bosses instead of fighting for young peoples’ rights at work."