Why Australian Unions has a Shop

We're really excited to have an official Australian Unions Shop, and we want to explain why we created it. 

We set up this shop a few years ago because we received many, many requests from union members, activists and supporters who wanted to buy campaign merchandise, like t-shirts, stickers and badges. 

The demand from our big union family for high quality, Australian-made union campaign gear is what initially drove our creation of the shop. 

But since then, and during the COVID pandemic, we decided to expand the shop.

This is because we believe in supporting secure, decent Australian jobs in the textile industry. While many Australian clothing brands have outsourced all of their manufacturing to overseas, we decided to partner with local, unionised clothing producers to supply high-quality, locally made gear like face-masks and t-shirts.

And it's because thousands of union members and supporters wanted to proudly proclaim their union membership and support - whether in person or on video meetings.

We partner with Australian textile companies that share our values, who have union-negotiated enterprise agreements with their employees, and who have long-term investments in secure, decent jobs.

This ethical Australian supply chain is made possible due to our deep relationships with factories, workers and their unions, and communities. While major brands relentlessly aim to lower costs through exploiting vulnerable workers and degrading the environment, we're investing in local, high quality, secure union jobs that protect the planet.

What's more, because we manufacture all of our clothes and gear in Australia, we can ensure quality and the highest ethical manufacturing standards. 

Australian Unions is actively expanding our partnerships in 2021 to include a broader range of ethical, sustainable local, and unionised textile and printing companies.