Australia’s union movement, representing around 1.6 million workers, will have two new leaders by the end of this year, in a surprise move only revealed to key union figures on Monday.

Announcing their departures, Australian Council of Trade Union (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus said she will step down first, at the end of August. President Michele O’Neil will stay on for a few months longer to help with the transition to a “new generation”.

Starting in 2017 and 2018 respectively, McManus and O’Neil were the longest serving ACTU leaders in more than half a century, and the first all-female leadership team.

They worked closely with the Albanese government since its election in 2022 to bring in a suite of workplace law changes, from the right to disconnect from work to criminalising wage theft.

In an interview on Monday, McManus said almost a decade was a long time to be ACTU secretary: “You’ve got to factor into that the COVID years – they’re worth double”.

From workplace rights to wages, what legacy will the pair leave?

The changing face of unions

For most of the ACTU’s 99-year history, Australian men were more likely to be union members.

But in 2012 – just a few years before McManus and O’Neil took over – that changed.

As of 2024, there were more women union members (around 853,000) than men (around 726,000). The Australian Nursing and Midwifery federation is the country’s biggest union today, representing around 356,000 nurses, midwives and care workers.

The single biggest challenge to McManus and........

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