Trade Union

1.0 Introduction

Industry relation is being hot news nowadays. Australia is one country that concern with the industrial relations to address disputes that possible occurred in the industry. Government as a major party intervenes as a middle party to resolve disputes among employees, employers, and unions. The government creates regulation in hope to calm down disputes between party involves. There are some numbers the reasons of declining of trade union in Australia and what the role of government in this field. Besides government, trade unions also responding to the decline of its existence by affording many particular efforts in order to maintain its survival. The government involvement brings impact to unions, employee and employers. Lastly, this report will address the trade unionism in future that would be foreseen to what many parties should consider about.

2.0 History of industrial relations in Australia

Australia is a nation that was colonized by the British. Australia is wealth of mineral and energy resources that highly needed and is sparsely populated. It was found in 1901 and former colonial government established Commonwealth of Australia and then insisted federal government to have jurisdiction over employment and industrial relation. Australia has small population that 18 million people living in this country and gross domestic product (GNP) of $392 billion. Australia major in service sector that also predominant in United States (USA) and Canada. For 72 % are working in service, 23 % in industry and 5 % in agricultural sector.

Under the constitution of federal government made industrial law for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes. The establishment of systems of conciliation and arbitration had characteristic to the British -style, remind that Australia was colonized by the British, that had strong influence and played important role in Australia. The Commonwealth Court of conciliation and arbitration carried out both arbitral and judicial functions.

In 1988 the name of Commonwealth Court of conciliation and arbitration commission had changed to the Australian Industrial Relation Commission. Employment relation influenced by employers, unions and government that played the role in the industry. This organization is established to solve disputes occurred between the parties to meet up the solutions. As a third party, the organization and government takes the role as a middle party.

3.0 Union employee relations in Australia

A number reasons that have contribute the decline of trade union in Australia including structural change in a range of industries, sectors and occupations and, more recently legislation that weakens the trade union organization (Campling J & Gollan P 1999, p.7).

3.1 Economic rationalism

In the changes of industries' structural, it is argued that organization dealing with economies major that had been viewed having a deleterious impact on inflation rates, employment, productivity, workplace cooperation and profitability. The argument allows the organization to attempt their overall cost by cutting the number of employees or reduce wages for particular groups of workers. It results an economy decline such as unemployment (Campling J & Gollan P 1999, p.3).

In Australia, there was significant rise in unemployment in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The changes in employment rate that joining the trade union impact the union trade where part time and casuals workers seems to be high. Fewer employees are working in full time occupation and more workers are employed in part time and casual jobs where it is less likely to belong to a trade union. Younger workers are less likely to be union members for some reasons such as education (Deery, Plowman, Walsh, and Brown 2001, p.222). According to Keane, wage rate of female part-time workers are generally superior in comparison to male full-time workers (Keane, week 3 lecture notes p.3). The substantial decline is caused by pay under the wage fixation arrangements for many employees that affected the unemployment and leads to negative effect on unionization rates (Deery, Plowman, Walsh, Brown 2001, p.223).

3.2 Environmental changes

In relations with environment changes, the involvement and consultation, bargaining and negotiation, alternative forms of employee representation, the nature of non-union agreement, and productivity, performance and workplace equity (Campling J & Gollan P 1999, p.10). The argument analyses the most significant process and outcomes of the employee relations environment that manager has to deal with. It is generally accepted for the highly successful in imposing common outcomes and agreement when bargaining with employers in the industry (Wooden M 2000, p.68). To get at this issue, there are several underlying themes such as workplace flexibility which has been viewed as being positively correlated with a union-free union environment, training which underpins efforts to introduce more flexible forms of work organization, and lastly communication and involvement that has been used as a tool to increase workplace productivity and efficiency (Campling J & Gollan P 1999, p.10). The misunderstanding of employee relation outcomes, making it difficult to generalize individual and work-group bargaining that leads to the decline in trade unions.

3.3 Role of management

In addition, the deterioration in public attitudes towards unions and the impact of sophisticated human resource management (HRM) strategies designed to attract workers away from unions can also account for the decline in trade union density (Campling J & Gollan P 1999, p.7). The argument of Deery and De Ciery based on Australian data, found that employees who has negative image of unions would impact them to be unionized. Management strategies are occupying important role to affect the demand for union service and the availability of union membership. In the case if unions are doing not doing their jobs properly, management can circumvent unions altogether by weakening employee attachment to unions through strengthening of employee attachment to the firm (Deery, Plowman, Walsh, Brown 2001, p.227).

4.0 Government's industrial relationship policies

The government may regulate directly the conditions of employment. Present Government's industrial relationship policies states to scrap the annual minimum wages. The government policy through ACTU says the reduction in the living standards for working Australians and their families. In Melbourne today, Tuesday