The Transformation of Australian Industrial Relations
Mark Wooden
The past decade has seen the decline of the tribunal-based systems of conciliation and arbitration that have shaped relationships between labour and management in this country since the turn of the century.
The remaining systems of industrial awards struggle to retain a place on centre stage and there has been a clear shift in the level at which wages and employment conditions are determined. An almost exclusive focus on industry and economy-wide considerations has given way to a hybrid system which places greater emphasis on the enterprise and the workplace.
This book analyses these changes and provides an understanding of their impact on Australian workplaces. It
- describes the changing nature of Australian industrial relations and the forces behind that change;
- provides an understanding of the nature of the 'new' agreements, both collective and individual, that are being negotiated;
- analyses how trade unions have reacted to, and have been affected by, changes in bargaining structures;
- discusses the possible implications of changing industrial relations arrangements for the nature of work and for individuals performing that work;
- examines whether changes in bargaining structures have had any impact on business performance, especially through enhanced worker productivity; and;
- considers likely future trends in industrial relations arrangements.
"[Wooden} argues that these changes have been beneficial for workplace productivity. Several other important conclusions are reached including that
-economic and broader social forces are more important in securing change
than political ones;
-unions have been slow to respond to the new paradigm; and
- diverse buit discernible trends in magaerial strategy have emerged.
The book also [challenges] a number of widely held views ... for example, it is concluded that job insecurity is no worse than 25 years ago ... this book ... makes an important contribution to the study of Australian industrial relations arrangements and can be expected to have a significant impact on both policy and research in the years ahead."
| DAVID BUCKINGHAM | JOHN NIEUWENHUYSEN |
| Executive Director | Chief Executive |
| BCA | CEDA |
ISBN 1 86287 355 0
Published by Federation Press (Federation Press)
