Food Workers' Union - The Australian Workers' Union : The Australian Workers' Union

We feed Australia

The AWU is the union for workers in agriculture, including fruit and vegetable picking, aquaculture (salmon farming), mushroom farms, field crops (like hay, wheat, grain, rice, pulses, maize, oats), dairy farming, and the grain industry.

We also cover the food production and food manufacturing industries that get food from farms to the nation’s plate, including:

Cereal manufacturing
Dairy manufacturing including butter, margarine and milk
Dehydration of food and vegetables
Meat industry (processing and preserving)
Nut food manufacturing
Potato crisp manufacturing
Salt (mining and manufacturing)
Seafood processing
Sugar (growing, refining and manufacturing)
Tea (growing and packing of tea)
Vegetable oils (farming and manufacturing)
Wine industry (growing of grapes and manufacture of wine)
Beverages (manufacturing and distribution – alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
Coffee manufacturing
Food manufacturing
Poultry processing (chicken and eggs)

The AWU is the union for agriculture and food production in Australia.

As the nation’s oldest blue-collar union, we have over 130 years of experience on Australian farms and factories. Our team of organisers work in every state in Australia, and collectively, we’ve secured huge national wins for the entire horticultural injury.

We fight so workers in farming, food production, and food processing can have fair wages, permanent jobs, and safe workplaces. Our members can work knowing they have their union at their back.

As a union member, you also get access to professional advice and support when you need it most. We can help you reclaim stolen wages and superannuation, fight an unfair dismissal, and support you through any bullying or harassment at work. If you need it, we can also help you with your employment visa through our Visa Assist partnership.