2024 Anna Stewart Memorial Project at the AEU ACT
We are excited to revive the Anna Stewart Memorial Project for 2024. This is an opportunity for an AEU woman or non-binary member to gain a better understanding of the Branch and develop their awareness of the issues faced by women and non-binary members within our union.
You will choose from opportunities that include:
- Attending professional development: Women In History: In(Visible) Women
- Shadowing Union Officers in their day-to-day work
- Assist with union activities, campaigns and policy development
- Preparing website articles
- Researching issues of concern to women and non-binary people
- Gaining meaningful insight into union organising and learn practical skills to organise your workplace and community
You will work in the Branch office for three days and then represent the AEU ACT Branch at the AEU Federal Women’s Conference in Melbourne over a two-day period. The 3 days in the Branch office will be 29-31 October (Week 3) and the remaining 2 days at Federal Women’s Conference, 15-16 November (Week 5).
Will you be paid?
Yes! The current Teachers Agreement, School Assistant Agreement and CIT Enterprise Agreement enable AEU members to access up to 15 days Industrial Leave per year to engage in AEU training. This project would entitle you to access 4 days of this leave.
Applications close Friday September 20. To apply, complete the online 2024 Anna Stewart Project application form. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming an AEU member into the AEU Office in Term 4.
Who is Anna Stewart?
Anna Stewart was a former journalist and active Victorian union official from 1974 to 1983, Anna died tragically in 1983, aged 35. Her involvement with the union movement began at a time when women workers comprised one third of the paid workforce, but the few industries in which women were employed offered jobs that were poorly paid, lacked job security, flexibility, skills recognition and unpaid maternity leave.
A prime consideration motivating Anna was the need to develop strategies which would address the issues confronting working women and to facilitate the important contribution that women can make to the trade union movement.
With the Federated Furnishing Trades Society of Australia, Anna Stewart successfully spear-headed the first blue collar union campaign for maternity leave award provisions. At the time, Anna was in the late stages of pregnancy with her third child.
After moving to the Victorian Vehicle Builders Federation in 1975, Anna fought for childcare facilities in car plants, researched and argued work value cases, initiated campaigns against sexual harassment as an industrial issue, and assisted with the ACTU Maternity Leave Test Case and campaign.
Anna Stewart was a foundation member of the ACTU Women’s Committee established in 1977 and worked tirelessly on programs to be incorporated into the Working Women’s Charter. Anna emphasised the key demand made by the ACTU Working Women’s Charter for increased involvement of women within the structures of the union movement.
As Senior Federal Industrial Officer with the Municipal Officers Association, Anna initiated women’s committees in most state branches of the union and developed strong policies in relation to women workers. After her death, the MOA adopted the Affirmative Action Policy that Anna developed.
The influence of Anna’s work is difficult to measure. Many women gained strength and confidence from her example of combining motherhood and a career. During Commission hearings, Anna would either breast feed her young son or seek adjournments to do so, exposing the Commission, employers and the union to the needs of women workers. In addition, Anna secured many conditions for the members she represented and indirectly for all working women, by setting these precedents.
Development of the Anna Stewart Memorial Project
After Anna’s death, a number of her trade union friends and colleagues felt that a project based around the Working Women’s Charter demand for increased involvement in trade unions was immediately relevant to Anna’s memory, and to the needs of the female workforce. This was felt to be particularly appropriate in light of statistics that showed that despite the large numbers of women joining trade unions, women were still under-represented in decision making structures.
The Anna Stewart Memorial Project was thus born, and the inaugural program was co-ordinated by the Municipal Officers Association in Victoria in April 1984.