Health Workers Union

What Health Workers Union does

The Health Workers Union (legally Health Services Union Victorian No. 1 Branch, "HWU") is a registered Australian trade union founded in 1911 that represents healthcare workers across Victoria. Its membership base exceeds 14,500 individuals employed in public hospitals, private hospitals (including Ramsay Health Care facilities), aged care (Royal Freemasons, Doutta Galla, Edgarley Homes, Shepparton Villages), pathology services (Dorevitch, Australian Clinical Labs), disability care, dental services, and community health centres. Core services include enterprise bargaining representation, workplace advocacy and dispute resolution, legal support, and access to negotiated enterprise agreements with above-award conditions.

The union generates revenue primarily through weekly membership subscription fees: $12.50 per week for full-time workers, $10.10 per week for part-time/casual workers, and a discounted $5 per week rate for Australian Clinical Labs employees. Distribution is conducted through a WordPress-based website with an online join portal, a phone contact centre, and a workplace delegate network across 80+ health services. The HWU operates a partnership with Maurice Blackburn injury lawyers to deliver member-facing legal services, and participates in the broader Australian trade union movement via the ACTU.

The HWU was placed into administration by the Federal Court of Australia in December 2024 following financial mismanagement, with Administrator Charlie Donnelly appointed on Christmas Eve 2024. Under administration, membership grew 36% (from 10,674 to over 14,500), the financial position swung from a $2M+ loss to a projected $1.5M surplus, and the 2025-27 Public Sector Enterprise Agreement was endorsed by 93.5% of more than 22,000 voting workers. The union is preparing to return to democratic member control via Australian Electoral Commission-conducted quadrennial elections beginning 15 June 2026.

Name

Health Workers Union

Legal name

Health Services Union Victorian No. 1 Branch

Website

https://hwu.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Health Workers Union is a Victorian trade union founded in 1911 representing over 14,500 healthcare workers across public/private hospitals, aged care, pathology, disability, and community health through membership subscriptions, enterprise bargaining, and legal partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

South Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The Health Workers Union generates revenue through membership subscription fees collected from healthcare workers. Membership subscriptions are 100% tax deductible. Full-time workers pay $12.50 per week, part-time/casual workers pay $10.10 per week, with special rates for Australian Clinical Labs employees at $5 per week.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Health Workers Union is a trade union that provides paid membership services to healthcare workers across Victoria, Australia. Its core offering consists of workplace representation, collective bargaining, enterprise agreement negotiation, and member support services for workers in public hospitals, private hospitals, aged care, pathology, disability care, community health, and dental services. Membership is sold on a tiered weekly subscription basis and includes access to a dedicated legal services portal through a partnership with Maurice Blackburn.

Product overview

Health Workers Union is a union organization (not a technology company) offering membership-based services to healthcare workers in Victoria. The core offering consists of union membership providing workplace representation, collective bargaining, and member benefits. The organization provides a Legal Services Portal through a partnership with Maurice Blackburn, a Member Resources Hub offering downloadable workplace materials, and negotiates Enterprise Agreements on behalf of members. The products and services are delivered through a WordPress-based website, not a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Workers Union Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.5% approval rate for 2025-27 Enterprise Agreement with 20,832 workers voting 'Yes'
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maurice BlackburncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Health Workers Union has a partnership with Maurice Blackburn injury lawyers to provide members with access to legal services for work-related issues including WorkCover claims, workplace bullying, and employment disputes. The partnership includes a dedicated Legal Services Portal on the Maurice Blackburn website.
• Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe HWU operates as part of the broader Australian union movement connected to the ACTU. The union may receive member information from ACTU and collaborates on broader industrial relations campaigns and worker rights initiatives.
• Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)minorOthersThe Australian Electoral Commission conducts union elections for the HWU in accordance with the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, ensuring democratic processes for member leadership selection.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Ramsay Health Care: Ramsay Health Care is one of Australia's largest private hospital operators and a key employer whose workers HWU represents in enterprise bargaining. While not a peer in the union sense, it is a critical counterparty whose industrial relations strategy directly affects HWU's bargaining outcomes and membership value proposition.
• Maurice Blackburn Lawyers: Maurice Blackburn is HWU's legal services partner providing WorkCover, employment, and personal injury representation. It is an enabling partner rather than competitor, but its broader industrial and employment practice overlaps with HWU's workplace advocacy services.

Direct peers

• Australian Services Union: ASU covers private-sector health, community services, and administrative workers nationally. It competes with HWU for private hospital, pathology, and administrative healthcare worker members across Australia, including in Victoria.
• United Workers Union: United Workers Union is one of Australia's largest unions, covering healthcare, aged care, disability, and community services workers nationally. It directly competes with HWU for members in aged care, disability care, and community health settings across Victoria.
• Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch): ANMF Vic is Victoria's largest health-sector union, representing nurses, midwives, and personal care workers. It directly competes with HWU for the same healthcare worker membership base in Victorian public and private hospitals, aged care, and community health.
• Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association: VAHPA represents allied health professionals in Victorian public health services. It competes with HWU for allied health support and professional workers in the same public hospital system, though focused more on professional grades than support staff.
• Health Services Union (HSU Victoria No. 2 Branch): HSU Victoria No. 2 Branch is a sister branch of the same registered organisation, covering allied health, clerical, and administrative health workers in Victoria. It competes directly with HWU No. 1 Branch for the same workforce categories across Victorian health services.

Regional players

• Health Workers Union (NSW): The HSU NSW branch represents health workers in New South Wales with a similar membership-based union model. Comparable in structure and sectoral coverage to HWU Victoria but operating in a different state jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU): ACTU is the national peak body for Australian trade unions, of which HWU is an affiliate. While not a direct membership competitor, ACTU shapes industrial relations policy, campaign priorities, and political advocacy that affect HWU's operating environment and competitive positioning.

Emerging players

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): SEIU is the largest healthcare union in North America, representing hospital, nursing home, and home care workers. While not operating in Australia, SEIU is comparable in its membership model, organizing tactics, and focus on healthcare support workers and private-sector employers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/events/1222899666028963
• Xx.com/health_workers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Health Workers Union