The AMOU traces its roots to the formation of the '''Mercantile Marine Officers' Association''' in the 1880s. The MMOA was one of the key unions involved in the
1890 Australian maritime dispute that began on 15 August 1890 and ended when members returned to work on the employers' terms in November 1890. A general meeting of the MMOA on 12 February 1904 changed the name of the union to
Merchant Service Guild of Australasia. The Guild registered under the
Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act on 5 May 1905, the first registered federal employee organisation to do so. On 3 September 1957 the union changed its name to the
Merchant Service Guild of Australia. In 1976 it took over coverage of sea-going shipwrights, previously represented by the
Federated Shipwrights and Ship Constructors Association of Australia. The Australian Maritime Officers Union was formed in 1993 with the merger of the Merchant Services Guild and the
Australian Stevedoring Supervisors Association. ==Publications==