E tū’s fee policy was passed by E tū members at our the E tū Biennial Conference in 2018. That policy sets out that membership fees are adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Each year, this adjustment keeps fees fair and ensures the union remains financially stable and able to deliver the support, bargaining strength, and services members expect.
For 2026/27, the CPI increase is 3.1%. From 1 April 2026, membership fees will increase by that amount. The maximum fee increase is just 29 cents per week – roughly the cost of a cup of coffee every four months.
E tū is a not-for-profit organisation. Every dollar collected in fees is invested back into members, your workplaces, and our collective strength.
What the 3.1% adjustment means
The updated weekly fees from 1 April 2026 will be:
Under 10 hours per week
Current: $1.83
New weekly fee: $1.89
Increase: $0.06 per week
10 hours or more per week 30 hours per week
Current: $4.69
New weekly fee: $4.84
Increase: $0.15 per week
30 hours or more per week
Current: $9.24
New weekly fee: $9.53
Increase: $0.29 per week
How this compares to what members win
Across major collective agreements, E tū members have recently secured:
- Hourly increases of 90 cents to $2.50 ($36 to $100 per week for a 40-hour week)
- Weekly increases of $25 to $100 in some industries
- Annual pay rises of between 2% and 11%
- Living Wage gains worth $1,300 to $2,392 per year per member ($25 to $46 per week)
- Improvements to overtime, allowances and penalty rates worth hundreds or thousands of dollars annually
Even the smallest pay increases won through collective bargaining are many times larger than the annual CPI adjustment to fees!
Why the increase happens each year
Like every organisation, the union faces rising costs. The CPI adjustment simply keeps pace with inflation so services are not cut back.
At the same time, the need for strong union support continues to grow. Members are dealing with restructures, disciplinary processes, unsafe work, cost-of-living pressure, and complex bargaining environments. Maintaining capacity to represent members properly requires stable funding.
Your fees support:
- Collective bargaining and wage negotiations
- Individual representation and legal support
- Delegate training and development
- Health and safety advocacy
- Industry campaigns such as Living Wage, Safe Airports, and Transforming Care
- Member communications and organising
- Secure digital systems, data protection and online voting.
Without annual CPI adjustments, the union’s ability to provide these services would erode over time.
Fair, transparent and member-led
E tū’s fee structure is set by members. The CPI adjustment follows the policy adopted at our first Biennial Conference and applies equally across categories.
We remain committed to keeping fees fair, protecting lower-income workers, and ensuring every dollar strengthens members’ collective power.