Seamen's Union of Australia

The SUA merged in 1993 with the Waterside Workers' Federation to become the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

For nearly eighty years the SUA successfully improved the wages and conditions of its members by negotiations with employers and governments or by taking militant industrial action.

Following World War I the SUA gained a reputation as a militant union, under the leadership of socialist-inclined Tom Walsh.

[1] During its long history the SUA underwent several amalgamations to increase its coverage of maritime workers, particularly as the size of the workforce decreased due to automation and the use of flag of convenience vessels.

In 1991 the Professional Divers' Association also amalgamated with the SUA, before it joined with the Waterside Workers' Federation to become the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) in 1993.