Albanese hails McManus and O’Neil as labour ‘giants’ ahead of ACTU departure
Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil conclude eight-year tenure as first all-female leadership team in the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ history.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil as “giants of the labour movement” and personal friends as they announce their departure from the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). The Prime Minister issued a statement praising the pair for their eight-year tenure, which concluded with the first all-female leadership team in the union body’s 99-year history.
Albanese linked the leaders’ exit to a period of notable labour market improvements, attributing these outcomes to their advocacy. He noted that working families are in a stronger financial position than they would otherwise be, citing significant wage increases in critical and long-undervalued sectors as a direct result of their efforts.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the gender pay gap has reached a record low during their time in leadership. Additionally, Albanese pointed to union membership growing for the first time in decades as evidence of the successes secured by McManus and O’Neil over their eight years together.
The ACTU serves as Australia’s peak national trade union organisation. McManus and O’Neil’s departure marks the end of a historic era for the institution, which has seen its leadership structure evolve significantly since its inception nearly a century ago.
While Albanese characterised the leaders as friends and credited them with securing incredible successes for working people, the specific metrics defining the record low gender pay gap or the extent of union membership growth were not detailed in the statement. The Prime Minister’s comments frame the leadership transition within a broader narrative of labour market strengthening.
