Electrical Trades Union of Australia

What Electrical Trades Union of Australia does

The Electrical Trades Union of Australia (ETU) is Australia's primary trade union for the electrical industry, representing more than 70,000 electricians, apprentices, and electrical workers across all six Australian states and two territories. Founded over 100 years ago, it operates as the Electrical, Energy and Services Division of the CEPU (Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia), with a national office relocated in 2025 to Mascot, NSW, and six state branches covering NSW/ACT, QLD/NT, SA, VIC, WA, and TAS. The union provides industrial relations representation, enterprise bargaining support, legal assistance, occupational health and safety advocacy, training and apprenticeship pathway programs, and policy advocacy on energy, skills, and superannuation matters. A documented track record includes more than $1.13 billion in unpaid super recovered for members over the past decade (including nearly $200 million in the most recent financial year, jointly with CBUS Super) and a campaign that raised first-year adult apprentice wages from $289/week in 2012 to over $790/week.

The ETU's core "product" is union membership, sold through state branches and grassroots delegate networks, supported by a portfolio of member-facing programmes: the Big Sister Mentoring Program (a $4 million Commonwealth-funded initiative to attract and retain women in electrical trades), the annual ETU Apprentice of the Year competition (whose winner represents the ETU at the Global Power Trade Union Conference), public policy reports and submissions, and an online merchandise storefront for branded apparel. The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight — a public-facing website, social media presence, email newsletter, and e-commerce storefront — reflecting a labour-relations and advocacy business model rather than a software business. There is no proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or third-party SaaS product described in the available data.

The revenue model is primarily recurring membership subscriptions paid by individual workers, supplemented by targeted government grants (notably the Building Women's Careers Program funding for Big Sister), sponsorship from commercial partners (CBUS Super being the headline sponsor and preferred superannuation partner), and minor merchandise sales. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by state branch. Distribution is via the six state branches and direct workplace organising, with no enterprise sales motion; member acquisition is driven by community-led campaigns, events, and workplace delegate networks rather than paid customer acquisition at scale.

Name

Electrical Trades Union of Australia

Legal name

Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia

Website

https://etunational.asn.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Electrical Trades Union of Australia (ETU) is the Electrical, Energy and Services Division of the CEPU, representing more than 70,000 electricians, apprentices, and electrical workers across all Australian states and territories with industrial representation, enterprise bargaining, safety advocacy, and apprenticeship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mascot

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: The primary revenue stream is membership subscriptions paid by electricians, apprentices and electrical workers across all Australian states and territories. The ETU operates through six state branches: NSW/ACT, QLD/NT, SA, VIC, WA, and TAS.
2. Merchandise Sales: The ETU operates an online merchandise store selling branded apparel including ETU long sleeve shirts (men's and women's), gym towels, and other union-branded merchandise at price points from AU$25 to AU$60.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Electrical Trades Union of Australia (ETU) is a registered trade union representing more than 70,000 electrical, electronic, energy, communications, and related industry workers across Australia. It sells union membership and associated services — workplace representation, industrial advocacy, training and apprenticeship programs, member events and competitions, and branded merchandise — through six state branches covering NSW/ACT, QLD/NT, SA, VIC, WA, and TAS.

Product overview

The Electrical Trades Union of Australia (ETU) is a trade union representing over 70,000 electricians, apprentices, and electrical workers nationwide. Rather than a single software product, the ETU offers a portfolio of membership services and programs including trade union membership with industrial advocacy and enterprise bargaining support, an online merchandise store selling branded apparel, the annual ETU Apprentice of the Year competition program, the Big Sister Mentoring Program (a government-funded initiative to recruit and retain women in the electrical trades), and a publicly accessible library of policy reports and submissions. The core offering is membership in the union, which provides representation, rights protection, and benefits to electrical workers across Australia's energy, construction, manufacturing, mining, and renewable energy sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Sister Program: A $4 million mentoring initiative funded through the Commonwealth Government's Building Women's Careers Program, designed to support women entering and remaining in the electrical industry through mentoring, school engagement, pre-vocational pathways, and employer support.
• ETU Apprentice of the Year Award

Products and services

• ETU Membership Registered trade union membership for electrical, electronic, energy, communications, and related industry workers in Australia, providing workplace representation, industrial advocacy, and access to member benefits.
• Online Merchandise Store Retail sale of branded union merchandise, apparel, and related items to members and supporters via the union's online store.
• Apprentice of the Year Competition Annual skills-recognition competition for electrical apprentices affiliated with the union, recognizing achievement in the electrical trades.
• Big Sister Mentoring Program Mentorship program supporting members (particularly women entering or progressing in the electrical trades) through structured peer support and career development.
• Reports & Submissions Advocacy documents, policy reports, and formal submissions published by the union to influence industrial relations, safety, and electrical industry policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.13 billion in unpaid super recovered for members over the past decade, including nearly $200 million in the last financial year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Commonwealth Government (Building Women's Careers Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026The Big Sister Program is a $4 million initiative funded through the Commonwealth Government's Building Women's Careers Program, led by the ETU in collaboration with industry leaders, training leaders, education institutions, and industry employers. The program operates across SA and WA.
• Union Aid Abroad – APHEDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU is an active supporter of Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA, the global justice organisation of the Australian trade union movement. Australian unions work globally through APHEDA in partnership for dignity at work, social justice, economic equality and human rights. APHEDA leads campaigns across Southeast Asia to ban asbestos. The ETU encourages all members to get involved with APHEDA.
• IndustriALL Global UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU is part of IndustriALL Global Union which represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in mining, energy and manufacturing sectors. The partnership enables international pressure on multinational companies through relationships with international unions and provides global solidarity on working conditions.
• Public Services InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU participates in Public Services International, a global union federation of more than 700 trade unions representing 30 million workers in 154 countries, bringing their voices to the UN, ILO, WHO and other regional and global organisations.
• Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU collaborates with BWI, a global union federation grouping free and democratic unions with members in the Building, Building Materials, Wood, Forestry and Allied sectors, with around 351 trade unions representing 12 million members in 127 countries.
• Global Power Trade UnionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU is a founding member of the Global Power Trade Unions, collaborating on international trends and developments in the power/electrical sector. Participation in global union forums helps bring international pressure to bear on multinational companies.
• Powering Skills OrganisationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU is a founding member and board member of the Powering Skills Organisation, a Jobs and Skills Council covering four energy-related training packages: UEE Electrotechnology, UEG Gas Industry, UEP Generation Sector, and UET Transmission, Distribution and Rail Sector. The JSC brings together employers, unions and governments in a tripartite arrangement.
• NECA (National Electrical and Communications Association)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU worked with NECA and Master Electricians to keep electrical skills together in one cluster rather than split across different clusters under government training package reforms, protecting the integrity of electrical qualifications.
• Master Electricians AustraliamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU collaborated with Master Electricians alongside NECA to advocate against splitting electrical training packages into separate clusters, working to keep electrical skills qualifications unified.
• CBUS SupercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBUS Super is the ETU's preferred superannuation partner. Together they have been fighting for Payday Super laws, which require employers to pay super at the same time as wages. CBUS has recovered almost $200 million in unpaid super for members in the last financial year, and over $1.13 billion over the past decade. CBUS sponsors ETU events and merchandise.
• Industry Employers and Training Institutions (Big Sister Program)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Big Sister program is led by the ETU in collaboration with leaders in industry, training leaders, education institutions, and industry employers, designed to encourage more women to get involved and join the electrical trades.
• Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ETU is affiliated with the ACTU and collaborates on national campaigns, policy positions, and industrial relations matters affecting all Australian workers. The union works with ACTU on skills and workforce policy and participates in qualification reform design groups.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Workers Union (AWU): The AWU is a major Australian trade union with overlapping coverage in manufacturing, mining, and energy sectors. Together with the ETU, it co-objected to the Axess Offshore Australia Enterprise Agreement, making it a direct peer in industrial bargaining and political advocacy.
• Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU): The CFMEU represents construction workers including many on-site electricians, and is a direct competitor for electrical trade union membership on construction sites. It negotiates enterprise agreements covering many of the same electrical workers and competes with the ETU for coverage rights.
• Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU): The AMWU represents manufacturing workers, including electrical workers in manufacturing settings. Like the ETU, it is affiliated with the ACTU and operates in overlapping industrial sectors, making it a direct peer in member recruitment and policy advocacy.

Regional players

• Unite the Union (UK): Unite is a major UK general union with sections covering electrical, construction, and manufacturing workers. It is a regional peer providing a comparable model of multi-sector union representation with apprenticeship and training pathways for electrical trades.
• National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT): RMT represents transport workers in the UK with some overlap into rail electrification electrical workers. It is a regional peer in the electrical trades space, connected to the ETU through international union solidarity networks.

Others

• Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU): The ACTU is the national peak body for Australian trade unions and the ETU is an affiliated member. While not a direct competitor, it shapes the policy environment and bargaining protocols that the ETU operates within, making it a central ecosystem participant.

Broad incumbents

• Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU): The ETU is the Electrical, Energy and Services Division of CEPU. CEPU is the parent union covering communications, postal, and plumbing workers in addition to electrical, making it the most direct structural peer — same federation, overlapping senior leadership, shared industrial and political agenda.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): The IBEW is the largest electrical workers union in North America and a fellow Global Power Trade Unions member. It is the closest international peer in terms of representing electricians and electrical workers, with comparable industrial bargaining structures and apprenticeship frameworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etu_national
• Facebookfacebook.com/ETUNational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/etunational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 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 Electrical Trades Union of Australia