Gold Coast-based Stacey Schinnerl will replace outgoing AWU Queensland secretary Steve Baker in August, signalling a major change to the “face” of the union as it heads into fierce negotiations with the State Government over pay rises for Queensland public hospital workers in the face of rising inflation and cost of living.

Baker held the influential AWU state secretary role for four years that was famously brought into state and national focus by former AWU heavyweight and Labor powerbroker Bill Ludwig OAM, who died in April this year aged 87.

In the major shakeup, Schinnerl will join the union’s first female state and national AWU president, Marina Chambers, who is also Queensland based.

Stacey Schinnerl (centre) with AWU president Marina Chambers (left) and outgoing state secretary Steve Baker at this year’s Labour Day march. (Image supplied)

Schinnerl said her appointment was a positive step “in terms of the changing face of the AWU,” that has more than 20,000 Queensland members.

“It’s significant, particularly in terms of Queensland. Queensland AWU has an extremely broad set of rules, we represent members in industries in this state that we don’t otherwise have coverage of elsewhere in the country,” Schinnerl said.

“From retail in north Queensland, aged care across the state, disability support care, health and welfare services – these workforces are heavily female dominant.

“I represent, in a gender sense, a portion of our membership that has probably previously not been reflected in senior management levels in our organisation.

“We still do represent the blokes in civil construction, men who work in manufacturing and local government and those traditional male-dominated industries, but increasingly we are growing our female numbers.

“So, in a progressive sense, I represent the modern day AWU worker. I think it’s a really positive step in terms of the changing face of the AWU.”

Schinnerl, who has served on the Australian Council of Trade Unions national executive, said she was hired by Ludwig and had worked at the union for almost 20 years, starting as an industrial advocate across unfair dismissal and wage cases.

The mum of two sets of twins, now aged 12 and nine, which meant at one stage she had four children under the age of three, also remains president of her local school P&C.

She said she aimed to break down outdated opinions of unions.

“I think the first step in breaking down those perceptions of old school unionism is probably an appointment such as mine,” she said.

“There is a perception that unionists and union officials are from the thuggery school of interaction. I think that had its time years ago and we have moved on significantly from that time.

“I think it is important to rewrite the narrative about what a union is and how we achieve the outcomes. It is all about the members and what they want to do and how they are going to stick together to get that outcome.”