Russ Collison: State Secretary

24 October 2002

State secretary Russ Collison is a natural leader for a union that caters for such a diverse group of members, with a working life that reads like an adventure novel.

Russ began his working life on the railways, spent time in abattoirs, a stint on the Bass Strait oil rigs before returning to Sydney to find security and happiness at the Tooheys brewery. Along the way, Russ got himself qualified as a rigger and scaffolder and became a member of the Federated Ironworkers Association, which merged with the AWU in 1994.

It was at Tooheys that Russ took on his first leadership role, heading up the joint shop committee and winning the battle for a 35-hour week. After 13 years at the brewery Russ was seconded to the union office and decided to become a full-time union organiser.

Russ rose onto the FIA executive and oversaw the difficult amalgamations through the 1990s that culminated in the merger with the AWU. It is only now, nearly a decade later, that Russ feels the merged union has forged a true identity. “We are united today in a way that gives me confidence of our capacity to grow and thrive,” Russ says.

Russ sees the AWU’s challenge as providing a bridge between rural workers and those in the city. “What defines us is our diversity,” he says. “When you represent a worker keeping a Qantas plane in the air, at the same time as you are fighting for the rights of seasonal fruit-pickers, you have to be bigger than one industry. In fact, there are very few industries where we don’t have some coverage.”

For Russ, the new web site is all about giving members a new tool to deepen their involvement with the union. “Members have never had better access to information about the union’s activities and their rights at work than ever before. Use the site, and if you have a query, don’t be shy to drop me a line.”