ABSTRACT
In this chapter we revisit traditional theories of union purpose and the framework of ‘settler capitalism’ to show that Australian unions have been central not only to employment relations but also to social, gender and class relations since the nineteenth century. Arguably, unions’ long presence, their strategy of state engagement and their very success in delivering material benefits to the workforce made them invisible to some people but a threat to others. From the 1980s, economic transformation posed problems for unionism and this was then coupled with a sustained assault from those threatened by unions’ success.
