Michele O'Neil's ascent to ACTU 大統領,/社長

When a young Michele O'Neil was sexually 悩ますd at work, it 誘発するd a chain reaction which would elevate her to one of the most powerful positions in Australia's union movement.

The new 大統領,/社長 of the Australian 会議 of 貿易(する) Unions first joined a union as a 十代の少年少女 working in 歓待 at clubs, 妨げる/法廷,弁護士業s and pubs, and spent nearly three 10年間s fighting for 労働者s' 権利s after 集団の/共同の 活動/戦闘 helped her.

"The first time I understood about 労働者s sticking together and what can happen from that was my own experience of 存在 sexually 悩ますd at a young age," O'Neil told AAP.

She was 14 and 存在 悩ますd by her 監督者.

"Having my other co-union members stand up for me and with me, that gave me a really 早期に understanding of you're not alone if you're part of a union," O'Neil said.

Later, she ran a bank of knitting machines and sewed labels inside the 支援する of jumpers before rising through the 階級s as an organiser at the 織物s 着せる/賦与するing and Footwear Union.

She became that union's Victorian 長官 and led it 国家的に.

"Pretty much every 職業 at the TCFUA I did," she said.

After winning the 重要な 支援 of Left 派閥 unions, O'Neil was elected ACTU 大統領,/社長 on Tuesday.

It's an office once held by (頭が)ひょいと動く 強硬派, who was 首相 from 1983 to 1991, and fellow former Labor leader Simon Crean.

When you throw in Rudd and Gillard 政府 大臣 ツバメ Ferguson, Jennie George and Ged Kearney, five of the last seven ACTU 大統領,/社長s have entered politics.

But O'Neil 主張するs the 井戸/弁護士席-travelled path to 議会 isn't for her.

"I don't have a 願望(する) to be a 政治家,政治屋," O'Neil said.

"I love having the 特権 of 代表するing working people and I don't want to go to politics."

にもかかわらず 存在 繰り返して sounded out to become a Labor 政治家,政治屋 during the past 15 years, O'Neil has at times 衝突/不一致d with the party.

In 2004 she told union memb ers to consider cutting 関係 with the ALP over 関税 削減(する)s in the 着せる/賦与するing, footwear and 織物s 産業s.

Three years later, O'Neil 衝突/不一致d with Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard on unions' 権利 to enter workplaces.

"I 推定する/予想する to have a strong and 強健な 関係 with the Labor Party," O'Neil said.

"いつかs we'll agree, and いつかs we won't."

ACTU 長官 Sally McManus has been labelled the union movement's 激しく揺する 星/主役にする and O'Neil is happy to be on the same 法案.

That 含むs 支援 McManus' 見解(をとる) that it's 罰金 for 労働者s to break 不正な 法律s.

"Australia has a 始める,決める of 産業の 法律s that are out of touch and are not in keeping with many industrialised countries around the world," O'Neil said.

She says strike 法律s are "本気で out of whack".

Within the movement, O'Neil wants to 上げる 多様制 in leadership - an 目的(とする) she sees as 批判的な to unions' 未来.

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