Australia’s peak union body has a new leader. The Australian Council of Trade Unions executive met on Monday and elected Melissa Donnelly, 44, as the organisation’s next secretary, following the resignation of Sally McManus, according to The Guardian.

Donnelly has led the Community and Public Sector Union for seven years. During that time the CPSU grew its membership by 23%, negotiated 18 weeks’ paid parental leave for both parents, and removed caps on work-from-home days for members. She also steered the union’s recent Fair Work Commission case against the tax office over alleged breaches of the Albanese government’s same-job-same-pay laws.

McManus and ACTU president Michele O’Neil announced last month they’d both be stepping down after eight years as the first all-female leadership team in the ACTU’s 99-year history. McManus said Donnelly had “overwhelming support” across the movement, calling her “smart, strategic and completely focused on the needs of working people”.

Donnelly started out as a lawyer in private practice before moving into the union movement, where she led the CPSU’s successful Federal Court case allowing public servants to join the Your Rights at Work campaign against the Howard-era WorkChoices legislation.

For tradies and their employers, the ACTU secretary sets the tone on wages, enterprise bargaining, and workplace law lobbying in Canberra. Donnelly’s track record at the CPSU suggests she’ll push hard on pay equity and job security, particularly same-job-same-pay rules that affect labour-hire and contract workers across construction and other industries.

Frequently asked questions

What does the ACTU secretary do?

The ACTU secretary sets the tone for Australia’s union movement on wages, enterprise bargaining, and workplace law lobbying in Canberra.

Why did Sally McManus step down?

McManus and ACTU president Michele O’Neil announced last month they’d both be stepping down after eight years as the first all-female leadership team in the ACTU’s 99-year history. No further reason was given.

How does this affect construction and trades workers?

Donnelly’s focus on same-job-same-pay rules is directly relevant to labour-hire and contract workers in construction and other industries, where those laws are already being tested.

Sourced from The Guardian. Original article.