The Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia was formed in Sydney on 25 September 1908 by delegates from New South Wales and Victoria. By 1909 it had branches in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. The Federation was registered on 20 May 1911. In October and November 1942 the Federation met with the Arms Explosives and Munition Workers' Federation regarding amalgamation and a National Executive Council was set up in 1943 representing the Federal Committees of Management of both Unions. The name of the organisation was to be the Metal & Munition Workers' Union but it was never registered as such. In 1975 the FIA amalgamated again with the Federated Artificial Fertilizer and Chemical Workers' Union of Australia. Although reregistering, the Union remained known as the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia. A further amalgamation with the Australasian Society of Engineers in 1991 created the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering Employees. A year later the Australian Glass Workers' Union joined and by 1993, the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering Employees merged with the Australian Workers' Union to form the AWU-FIME Amalgamated Union.

The Amalgamated Ironworkers' Assistants of New South Wales was registered in June 1890 and then as the Ironworkers' Assistants Union of New South Wales on 25 July 1900. It joined the Federated Ironworkers' Association as the New South Wales Branch and on 13 March 1913 registered as the NSW Division, Sydney Branch of that union. It was also known as the Sydney 'A' branch or No.1 Branch and later as the Sydney Metropolitan Branch which incorporated the Sydney No.1, No. 2 and Balmain Branches.

The Wireworkers' Union of New South Wales was formed on 2 November 1901 and on registration in 1902 changed its name to the Wire Netting Workers' Union of New South Wales. In 1928 it was registered again as the Wireworkers' Union of New South Wales, a branch of the Wireworkers, Wire Fence and Tubular Gate Workers' Union of Australia. The NSW Union amalgamated with the NSW Branch of the Federation Ironworkers' Association of Australia in November 1944, though the federal union did not amalgamate until 1966.