Union of Architectural Workers

Architects+ organising architects+

Fees to practices are low because wages are. Australian architects average 45 hours a week against a 38-hour Award, and only 6–7% of us are paid for the overtime. That 7-hour gap, across roughly 31,500 architectural workers, is the industry's hidden subsidy.

Right now, UAW members are lodging a submission in AM2025/19 (the Fair Work Commission's review of architect pay), building the union's independent salary dataset, and supporting members through underpayment and unfair-dismissal claims. The next twelve months: paid overtime enforcement, transparent pay bands, capped working hours. Join us.

2-minute form via Professionals Australia, Tax-deductible.

What members get +

Change.

The aspirational reason anyone joins a union. Industry conditions don't shift because individuals quietly endure them. They shift because architectural workers act together. Joining the UAW is how you stop being one voice and start being part of a collective the profession has to listen to.

• Advice

  Free, confidential support from industrial officers who know the Architects Award 2020.

• Salary data

  Benchmarks and survey results so we know what fair pay looks like across the industry.

• Legal referrals

  When a workplace issue escalates, we connect members with experienced employment lawyers.

• Resources

  Templates for negotiation, Award interpretation, rights explanations, fact sheets.

• Collective voice

  One voice is easy to ignore. Together, we shift what the whole profession accepts.

• Tax-deductible dues

  Membership fees are fully deductible as a work-related expense.

• Voting rights

  Members decide campaigns, priorities, and elect leadership. Member-led, not staff-led.