Members First set to challenge UWU leadership in first contested election in union's history

The Socialist Bulletin Staff - 2/2/2026

MEMBERS First, a group of United Workers' Union (UWU) rank and file members, are set to challenge the union's leadership, in the first contested leadership election since the union was formed in 2019.

The United Workers' Union was founded in 2019 through the merger of the National Union of Workers and United Voice union, and since that date have had the same leadership team, and all elections have run uncontested.

In the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the union, however, there is set to be a competitive election for the first time, as grassroots support burgeons for the grassroots left-wing alternative.

The group advocates for a more militant UWU that focuses on the needs of its members, as opposed to the needs of the Labor Party or union leadership. They have advocated the expansion of the Union's strike fund, as well as increased Regional organisation and face-to-face organising.

A poll by Members' First found that UWU members are most interested in face to face organising, something that United has struggled with in the past.

The movement has achieved widespread credibility, achieving endorsement from the Socialist Party, as well as other prominent left-wing organisations. Members First appears poised to achieve at least some representation in the leadership of the union in this year's election.

If they are successful, Members First will become the second grassroots union organisation to win leadership from a long-lasting Labor-affiliated leadership, following in the footsteps of the Community and Public Sector Union's A Voice for Members (AVFM), which won all 5 executive positions, as well as 23 out of 34 branch positions