What PPTEU does

PPTEU (Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union) is a federally registered Australian trade union founded in 1850 and federally registered since 1912, operating as a private nonprofit and member-owned organisation. It represents plumbing, fire protection, refrigeration, and fabrication workers in Victoria and Western Australia through workplace organising, enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations, and member service delivery. PPTEU is part of the broader CEPU union federation and participates in the Building Industry Group of Unions (BIG) coalition, which collectively represents 100,000 Victorian building and blue collar workers.

The union's core "product" is membership, with dues set on a tiered subscription model based on time-in-trade and apprentice status (billed annually, tax deductible). Revenue is supplemented by its wholly owned Registered Training Organisation CEPUTEC (RTO 4612, operating since June 1997) and by the NUDJ Plumbing Services P/L joint venture (formed 2009 with Aboriginal corporations and Cooke & Dowsett). Member benefits include free travel insurance for full-rate members, legal wills via Maurice Blackburn, ME Bank home loan discounts, mental health resources via ADA Australia, wellbeing services via Incolink, OH&S hazard alerts, RDO calendars, and digital membership cards. Technology is deliberately light: no proprietary platform, no public API, and no AI capabilities. Operations are delivered through 20+ staff including 9 field organisers, 2 OH&S officers, an industrial officer, and a secretariat led by State Secretary Earle Setches, supported by branch offices in Carlton South (HQ), Geelong, and Melbourne.

PPTEU also operates the Indigenous Apprentice Program, which has produced more than 200 completed Indigenous plumbing apprenticeships across WA, NT, and Victoria, and houses the Indigenous Plumbing and Sanitisation Foundation (IPSF). Growth initiatives include a 2024-28 Construction EBA campaign unanimously endorsed by members, a newly launched women's entry program aligned with the Victorian Social Procurement Framework, and active participation in industry coalitions defending trade licensing and registration. The Carlton South headquarters closed for renovations from 17 December 2024, with member service routed through direct staff contact lines during the works.

Name

PPTEU

Legal name

Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union

Website

https://ppteu.asn.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PPTEU is a federally registered Australian trade union (founded 1850) representing plumbing, fire protection, refrigeration, and fabrication workers in Victoria and Western Australia. It delivers membership-based services including EBA negotiation, training via its RTO CEPUTEC, and member benefits such as travel insurance and superannuation partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlton South

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: PPTEU generates revenue through membership fees and dues. Membership rates are based on time of service in the trade and are fully tax deductible. Financial members who pay full rates access member benefits including travel insurance at no additional cost, private plumbing insurance, and other member services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PPTEU is a federally registered trade union that represents plumbers, fire protection, refrigeration, and pipe trades workers in Victoria and Western Australia. Its core offering is union membership providing workplace representation, enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiation and administration, trade licensing protection, and access to a bundle of member benefits including training, insurance, and welfare support.

Product overview

PPTEU (Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union) is a membership-based trade union offering services to plumbers and pipe trades workers in Victoria and Western Australia. The union's core offerings include membership administration, enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) representation, and industry training through its registered training organisation CEPUTEC. Member services include benefits programs (insurance, travel insurance, financial discounts with ME Bank, free wills through Maurice Blackburn), RDO calendars, and apprenticeship support programs including an Indigenous Apprentice Program. The union also provides OH&S resources, hazard alerts, and welfare support through partnerships with Incolink and ADA Australia. No commercial product/software product is offered—the organization is a trade union providing member services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PPTEU Union Membership
• Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) Services
• Digital Membership Card
• RDO Calendars
• CEPUTEC Training (RTO 4612)
• Apprentice Liaison Officer Service
• Indigenous Apprentice Program
• Indigenous Plumbing and Sanitisation Foundation (IPSF)
• Member Insurance
• OH&S Services
• PPTEU Journals

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,300 apprentices currently benefit from PPTEU membership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NUDJ Plumbing Services P/LcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Joint venture amalgamating Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, Victorian Plumbers Union (PPTEU), Cooke & Dowsett Pty Ltd, and Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Corporation. Purpose is providing employment and training opportunities for Indigenous Australians. Dedicated to enriching lives of Aboriginal people in Kimberley and Pilbara regions through plumbing apprenticeship programs.
• CEPUTEC (RTO 4612)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997PPTEU's own Registered Training Organisation commenced operation in June 1997 providing flexible learning and assessment opportunities to members and others in the plumbing industry. Provides free training to members and their family to enhance employment opportunities.
• ADA AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPTEU partnered with ADA Australia to provide the PPTEU Support and Learning Hub ensuring valuable mental health, alcohol and drugs awareness content and training is easily accessible across all platforms. The partnership provides members and their families with access to information that increases awareness and positive personal practices to help 'ride out' challenging times. Access via adaaus.com.au/log-in/?o=ppteu
• Cbus SupercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPPTEU has an ongoing partnership with Cbus Super, one of Australia's leading industry super funds. The partnership provides exclusive superannuation and financial benefits to PPTEU members. Cbus is featured prominently on the PPTEU website as the recommended super fund for members.
• IncolinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPTEU works in conjunction with Incolink Member Wellbeing & Support Program offering exclusive free services to construction industry workers including Preventative Education, Counselling, Health Checks, and Job Support. Incolink provides 24/7 counselling and critical incident support. PPTEU/Incolink Foundation Occupational Health and Safety Initiative and Welfare Program.
• Maurice Blackburn LawyersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPPTEU members access free standard Will service through Maurice Blackburn Lawyers' Online Will Service. Partnership enables members and their partners to create wills at no cost, with Maurice Blackburn providing secure storage.
• ME BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPPTEU negotiated home loan discounts with ME Bank providing members with additional interest rate discounts on Flexible Home Loans with Member Package and Basic Home Loans. Discount offers for eligible members through ME's Member Benefits Program.
• Australian Prostate CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPTEU partners with the Australian Prostate Centre to provide members with access to free bulk-billing healthcare centre focused on prostate cancer and urological conditions. Partnership includes free health consultation, lifestyle assessment, blood pressure checks, and lung function tests.
• Indigenous Plumbing and Sanitisation Foundation (IPSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPSF has been established to provide relief from poverty, sickness, suffering and misfortune for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Indigenous communities with dangerously poor sanitation. The foundation raises funds from industry and government to provide direct relief to Indigenous communities through apprenticeship opportunities and plumbing services.
• Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPTEU collaborates with PICAC for industry training. PICAC hosts World Plumbing Day events and provides world-class vocational training facilities for the plumbing industry. PPTEU supported $5M government funding for new PICAC training centres.
• Building Industry Group of Unions (BIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIG is a coalition of building and construction industry unions representing 100,000 workers in Victoria. PPTEU participates in BIG alongside other building unions to address industry-wide issues including worker safety, employment rights, and regulatory matters.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU): National peak body for Australian trade unions, indirectly connected to PPTEU via the CEPU federation. Sets national union policy direction and represents the broader labor movement in federal wage and industrial relations negotiations.
• National Fire Industry Association of Australia (NFIA): Industry association for fire protection practitioners — a sector PPTEU explicitly covers under its fire protection worker segment. Co-stakeholder with PPTEU on the Plumbing & Fire Industry Awards and licensing advocacy.
• Master Plumbers' Association of Australia: National employer-side peak body for the plumbing industry. Functions as the industry counterpart to PPTEU in collective bargaining and industry training (notably via PICAC partnership), making it a natural negotiating counterpart rather than a competitor.
• Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Workers Union of Australia (CEPU): National federation of which PPTEU is a divisional branch; coordinates shared policy, training, and industrial strategy across its constituent unions including the PPTEU plumbing division.
• Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC): Industry-owned vocational training facility supported by PPTEU ($5M government funding secured) and co-located with PPTEU training delivery. Functions as a strategic training partner and event host (World Plumbing Day).

Broad incumbents

• Australian Workers' Union (AWU): One of Australia's largest general trade unions with significant construction, manufacturing, and services membership. Operates a much broader industry mandate than PPTEU but competes for many of the same blue-collar workers in Vic/WA construction.
• Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU): Major trade union representing manufacturing, fabrication, and related workers — overlapping with PPTEU's fabrication shop coverage. Similar dues-funded, EBA-driven model with comparable organizer headcount and member-benefit structure.

Regional players

• Victorian Trades Hall Council: Peak council for Victorian unions — Geelong Trades Hall where PPTEU holds its general meetings is affiliated with this body. Coordinates broader Victorian union movement activity alongside PPTEU's branch operations.

Direct peers

• CFMEU (Construction & General Division): Australia's largest construction industry union, representing building, construction, and allied workers. Directly competes with PPTEU for the same construction trade workers, with overlapping EBA coverage across Victorian and WA building sites.
• Electrical Trades Union of Australia (ETU): Sister trade union inside the same CEPU federation as PPTEU, representing electrical, electronics, and communications workers. Operates with an identical union model — enterprise bargaining, RTO-linked training, member dues, and state branches — and is directly comparable in scale and structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ppteu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries3 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 PPTEU