Generations of union members have fought hard for the things that make Australia such a great place to live with a high standard of living.
Conditions like workplace safety, wages, sick and carers leave, annual leave, superannuation, the minimum wage, redundancy payments and so many more would not have been possible without union activists fighting for them.
Unions were also an integral part of the social safety net that means no person in Australia should fall through the cracks. Services like Medicare, the aged pension, the disability pension, unemployment benefits, youth allowance and public housing.
We know that the commitment of union members to progressive causes doesn’t go away just because they leave the workforce.
The fights that retired union members have led and taken part in are not over – and neither is our need for you to be activists in the trade union movement.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is facilitating the Retired Unionists Network (RUN) and we need your help.
What is RUN?
The Retired Unionists Network (RUN) is a national community of retired union members who want to stay informed and active in the movement.
RUN is administered by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and connects with retired activist groups right around the country.
It aims to provide opportunities for retired union members to participate in and contribute to the creation of campaigns in the movement. These can be national or state campaigns and also campaigns driven by and from RUN about issues important to members of the network.
The Network meets monthly online over Zoom.
Why join?
Getting involved in RUN is a great way to meet other activists and keep up with the goings on in the union movement.
It provides an opportunity to socialise with like-minded people from your area and link in better to campaigns in your local area about the issues you care about.
As a RUN member, you can also take advantage of the Australian Unions Member Benefits.
How to join
Simply fill in the form on this page to start to receive email newsletters and notices about upcoming meetings.
Already subscribed? Keep an eye on your inbox – and your spam/junk! – for monthly meeting details and occasional newsletters. Emails will come from [email protected].
Monthly meeting details
Monthly meeting details
RUN holds a monthly general meeting via zoom, generally on the fourth Thursday of the month from 2:00pm – 4:00pm AEST/AEDT from February to November. This meeting features a guest speaker and all retired unionists are welcome to attend and participate.
Remaining dates scheduled for 2025 are: 24 April, 25 May, 26 June, 24 July, 28 August, 25 September, 23 October and 27 November.
To join any of these meetings, click here.
Sign up to the email list (by filling out the form at the top right of this page) to receive updates and any changes to scheduled meetings.
Join The Retired Unionists Network
Latest Retired Unionists News:
Major issues in 2024
The RUN Committee has identified a number of major issues for consideration in the coming year, whilst we do not expect any of the matters to be resolved in the short term, nonetheless, we will continue lobbying.
Introducing the new RUN Committee
The Retired Unionists Network (RUN) is a national community of retired union members who want to stay informed and active in the movement. RUN is administered by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and connects with retired activist groups right around the country.
RUN Meeting dates in 2024
The RUN meets via Zoom on the fourth Thursday of every month at 2pm, Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra time. Getting involved in RUN is a great way to meet other activists and keep up with the goings on in the union movement.
Snapshots of Retired Members’ Groups
The RUN Committee promotes retired members groups around Australia. such as the Vintage Reds of the Canberra Region who recently celebrated their tenth anniversary and the United Fire Fighters Union (UFU) Retired Members Branch in Victoria.