MARITIME Union of Australia national secretary Paddy Crumlin will step down in February 2026 after more than a quarter of a century of leadership. He will be replaced by assistant national secretary Jake Field.
Mr Crumlin’s retirement was announced this morning following the MUA’s National Council meeting Sydney, which saw agreement on a plan for generational change and renewal of the 153 year-old trade union.
The National Council — the Union's governing body on behalf of its more than 13,000 members — has endorsed a leadership transition “that reflects the evolving face of Australia’s maritime industry and the next chapter in the MUA’s proud history of militancy, unity and international solidarity.”
Mr Crumlin’s tenure marks him as one of history’s longest serving Australian trade union leaders and a figure of leadership, constancy, stability and support for maritime workers and their families both locally and internationally, the MUA said.
“The MUA has always stood at the forefront of change in the Australian working class — from the birth of the trade union movement to today’s fight for decent jobs, safe workplaces and a sustainable maritime industry,” Mr Crumlin said.
“This generational change brings through a new cohort of leaders who have grown up in a modern, complex industry but who carry forward the same principles of fairness, democracy and collective strength that built our beautiful Union throughout over 150 years of adaptation, evolution and amalgamation,” he said.
Mr Crumlin will continue to work in a number of key policy areas in a senior management capacity for as long as required of him by the National Council, covering various areas including:
Mr Field, who has led the Union’s ongoing campaign against container terminal automation at DP World’s four Australian terminals, will take over as national secretary at the end of February 2026.
“Our industry is changing fast but our values have never and will never change; solidarity, militancy, safety, equality and internationalism are at the heart of who we are as maritime workers and these values will continue to define everything our Union does for its members and the communities they live in,” Mr Field said.
“The MUA National Council’s plan, put into place this week, will provide the basis for our ongoing fight to secure Australian seafaring jobs, rebuild our shipping industry, and protect the jobs, wages and conditions of wharfies throughout Australia,” Mr Field said.
The MUA said its leadership renewal follows a period of strategic growth, sweeping successes during industrial disputes and workplace bargaining, successful national campaigns for a revitalised Australian shipping sector, and continued advocacy through the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), where the union plays a leading global role.
Mr Crumlin will continue in his role as president of the ITF until January 2027, when he will be succeeded by Belgium’s Frank Moreels.