February 27, 2025
Tribute by Tony Maher, General President
In January we brought members the very sad news of the passing of an outstanding trade unionist, Gary Wood.
Gary began as the Secretary of the then ‘Coal Miners Industrial Union of Workers of Western Australia’ in 1986.
Following that he proudly served as Secretary of our Western Australian District for over 30 years until his retirement in 2018.
The born and bred Collie coal miner led mineworkers through the highs and lows of the industry.
Mining never stands still. Prices change, companies change, governments come and go and workers look to their union leader when times get tough.
Of course, in Collie, a union leader is not just a job. You become a community leader and an advocate for the region. Gary was that community leader.
Living in Collie means there is no escape, wherever you go – the shop, the pub, the footy – there’s a queue of people eager to give their assessment of your performance. Gary was the sort of laid back guy with a large amount of roguish charm who could soothe the masses.
As the union expanded so did Gary’s work. He had to represent iron ore miners, power workers, aluminium workers, manufacturing workers, petrochemical workers etc. some union officials would resent working outside their comfort zone. Not this bloke. He dived into the challenge. He excelled. He became an expert in those industries.
Gary led the WA District and went up against the likes of BHP and Rio Tinto at their most ruthless. Gary was there at the pointy end of the 90s when BHP announced a radical new industrial policy which offered individual contracts to 1,000 workers. During this time Gary addressed mass meetings of sometimes up to 800 workers in the Pilbara iron ore centres of Port Headland and Newman as workers fought the company that was trying to bribe workers out of collective bargaining.
Gary spent the last decade on the job working tirelessly for members at the troubled Griffin Coal, as the mine faced unprofitability, harsh downsizing, and potential liquidation. This was deeply personal to Gary as a Collie local. These were his neighbours, and it was his town. Gary’s work in Collie demonstrated the need for worker transition schemes for coal workers as our industry faces reduced demand, uncertainty and eventual closures.
During most of Gary’s union career he was also on his own. He was the only official for the whole of Western Australia.
In other states we have an official who deals with members and the employer. We have a legal team to help with bargaining and disputes, we have a communications team to handle the media and we have full time safety experts to deal with OHS and Government regulation. In WA we had Gary and he did it all and he was magnificent.
Gary’s approach to his job was the opposite of the loud sweary union stereotype. He was quietly spoken but determined to advance the position of workers. He would never shout at people, he would patiently explain why they should agree with him. He always studied and understood the economic circumstances of employers. I was always impressed with how much respect he had from the business community who mostly realised they were dealing with a very smart and very principled person.
Gary was one of the best political operators I’ve seen. Many issues facing workers need a political or legislative solution. Gary always invested in politicians for the long term.
He understood that you need to develop a relationship before you need something. Talk to them when they have no power. He also treated people well.
His influence within Labor Governments was extraordinary. Yet he was also respected by the other side of politics. Gary was one of the few unionists appointed to Government boards by conservative Governments.
On the national stage Gary was universally respected. When Gary spoke, we all listened because he never spoke for the sake of it. He spoke when he had something important to say. As President I knew Gary was the guy you needed to listen to. He had great judgement.
I’ve worked with some legendary trade unionists who have one thing in common. The best ones are true working-class intellectuals and champions for their people. Gary Wood came through the school of hard knocks and was blessed by an intellect the equal of anyone he met.
He used his talents to benefit others – his workmates and his community.
Whenever I meet young up and coming unionists asking for advice, I know the best advice I can give them is ‘be like Gary’.
From our Union, we send our most heartfelt condolences to Gary’s loved ones including his three children, Jamie, Brenton, Melissa, his partner Jenny, and his grandchildren. Vale Gary.
