Janice Mayes

Janice Mayes

Biography

Unionist Janice Mayes was the President of the Federated Clerks Union from 1990 before it became the Australian Services Union in the early 1990s. She was Secretary of the Clerical and Administrative Central and Southern Queensland Branch of the Australian Services Union from 1993 and served as a member of the union's national executive until 2006.

Mayes grew up in Garbett, Townsville and was educated at St Mary's and Joseph's Primary School and St Patrick's Girls College in Townsville, before attending a boarding school in Charters Towers for her final two years. Mayes' family had a strong union ethos. She left North Queensland to study a Bachelor of Arts degree at Griffith University where she joined the Student Representative Council in the late 1980s. In 1989 she became chair of the Student Representative Council, as well as the Electorate Officer for Labor candidate Anne Warner during the Goss State election campaign. She joined the Federated Clerks Union whilst serving as an Electorate Officer.

As President of the Federated Clerks Union from 1990, Mayes oversaw a range of campaigns concerning workplace bullying, privitisation, unpaid overtime and issues relating to women and she affiliated the union with the ALP in 1990. Mayes attended her first union conference in 1991, and was active in establishing a women’s policy. She oversaw the amalgamations that led to the union becoming the Australian Services Union in 1991 and became Secretary of its Clerical and Administrative Central and Southern Queensland Branch in 1993.

As Secretary Mayes was involved in industrial dispute during the mid-1990s calling for extra funding for Queensland Health as well as against the privatisation of the Queensland TAB. She was active in the Trades and Labor Council of Queensland for nine years. Mayes retired from her position on the national executive in 2006.