Sally McManus, the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), is stepping down at the end of the month after nearly a decade in the role. She told Guardian Australia she is looking forward to a break, having spent 33 years as a union official, 22 as a leader, and nine and a half as ACTU secretary. "It never stops," she said.
A decade of industrial change
McManus announced her departure last month, the same day ACTU president Michele O'Neil revealed plans to step down. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described both, the first all-female leadership team in the ACTU's 99-year history, as "giants of the labour movement".
During her tenure, McManus helped reshape Australia's industrial landscape, pushing for same job, same pay protections, the right to disconnect, wage theft criminalisation, and minimum pay, insurance and safety standards for gig economy workers. Her time in office spanned the Turnbull, Morrison and Albanese governments, the Covid-19 pandemic, Labor's jobs and skills summit, allegations of corruption in the CFMEU, and the productivity roundtable convened by Treasurer Jim Chalmers a year ago this week.
Victories and pressures
McManus counts wage rises for low-paid workers, help for women and children affected by domestic violence, and strengthening early childhood education and aged care among her closest-held victories. But the high-profile role has brought pressures, including death threats and online tirades. She said the situation has become "10 times, maybe 20 times, worse" due to changes on social media platforms like X and the monetisation of social media.
McManus said the job is not done, pointing to AI threatening workers' rights and the need for tax reform and intergenerational equity. She also warned about Pauline Hanson's growing political support, saying the One Nation leader would end unfair dismissal laws if the party gained power.
Future plans
McManus considers a four-day work week realistic in the future, saying that if AI replaces jobs, cutting working hours with no loss of pay is something Australia could do. Asked about the CFMEU, she said some leaders had betrayed union values, adding, "I don't consider them unionists."
The 55-year-old has no plans to enter politics. Instead, she plans to go bird watching and undergo surgery for a cochlear implant to fix hearing loss. Incoming ACTU secretary Melissa Donnelly, currently national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, will succeed McManus on 31 August.
