Holding the Line
Compulsory Arbitration and National Employer Co-ordination in Australia

An illumination of the unique Australian arbitration and labour relations system.

David H. Plowman (Author)

9780521125963, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 January 2010

288 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.37 kg

Employer organisations have had greater difficulties than trade unions in creating top-level representation, as this 1989 volume shows. Within Australia, national coordination of employers in fact predates the Australian Council of Trade Unions by over two decades, and provides a story of growth and development of interest to those involved in the changing face of industrial relations. This book examines the coordinating bodies that were established by the middle-sized and larger employers, including the Confederation of Australian Industry. It considers the difficulties which these coordinating bodies have faced. It also examines the symbiotic relationship that existed between Australian employers' associations and the arbitration systems which have played such an important role in regulating the industrial relations of Australia. Dr Plowman's study thus illuminates the unique Australian arbitration and labour relations system with fresh insights and perspectives.

List of tables and figures
List of abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Industrial legislation and the rise of permanent employer associations 1890–1906
2. The Higgins era 1907–1920
3. Rival shops 1921–1929
4. Depression and recovery 1930–1939
5. War and government executive action 1940–1949
6. Consolidation 1950–1959
7. The National Employer's Associations 1960–1972
8. Confederation 1973–1988
9. Models of national employer coordination
Appendices
Bibliography
Records of organisations
Index.

Subject Areas: Labour economics [KCF]