A Concise History of Australian Industrial Relations

This article provides a concise history of Australian industrial relations, exploring the principles that have dictated its evolution. It discusses different theories, such as the unitary theory and Marxian theory, and highlights key legislation and principles that have shaped the industrial relations landscape in Australia. The article also examines the implications of industrial disputes on the wider community, economy, and politics.

Community and Industrial Relations
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A concise history of Australian industrial relations and the principles which
Have dictated its evolution i.e. the principle of conciliation and arbitration;
Industrial relations Theories
Unitary theory
This hypothesis distinguishes an organization as having people who have and share same
objectives, and work as individuals from one group. The unitary view perceives an association as
one major glad family. Unitarists see the venture as a unitary framework with one wellspring of
power – the managmen6, and one focal point of reliability – work. Unitary system praises the
goodness of cooperation, where everybody endeavors mutually to a typical target, each one
destroys their weight to the best of their capacity, and everybody acknowledges their place and
capacity readily (Bailey, Macdonald, and Whitehouse 2012, p.441). The unitary view considers
struggle to be an awful thing which ought not exist since it fills in as an imperative towards the
accomplishment of shared goals of both administration and work. Be that as it may, unitarism
has been scrutinized as being basically totalitarian and tyrant. It likewise does not perceive the
way that an association is comprised of people and gatherings with dissimilar and frequently
clashing interests.
Marxian (conflict) theory
In perspective on the intrinsic shortcoming of the unitary hypothesis in perceiving that an
association comprises of individuals who have frequently clashing interests, the Marxists
guessed that contention is an inalienable normal for the general public. This particular view
regarding relations views the nature of capitalist society where there exist key division of interest
between labor and capital, and views workplace relations against this particular background

(Baines 2010,p.480).This theory is inserted underway and thoughts of Karl Marx. This
hypothesis clarifies that contention is unavoidable and comes from disparities of influence and
financial riches intrinsic in an entrepreneur economy or society.
History
The industrial relation federation resulted when the common wealth of Australia emerged in the
year 1901.this led to the first ever existing industrial tribunal
The year 19992 particularly marked the landmark period of the history of Australian industrial
relations (Boyd et al, p.112). The existing Keating authority pressured for enterprise bargaining
as the industrial relations commission delayed hence pushing for workers issue sat the prospect
of wage inflation.
As the trade union acts passed in the early nineteenth century, employees had the legal capability
to negotiate collectively. This was done with their bosses over salaries and working
environmental conditions. Various industrial unions started in Australia in the 1860s and
1870s .They highly achieved success in negotiations for their union members for instance the
gold rush period where labor force was extremely scarce in the workplace (Buddelmeyer and
Wooden 2011, p.109).
This led to the trade unions defeat and movements hence the rise of industrial disputes.
Membership became highly decimated and trade unions had limited capacity to negotiate
successful on favorable grounds.
In this case various colonial politicians like Charles Kingston started a compulsory conciliation
and arbitration movement (Burchielli, Delaney and Coventry 2014, P.102).It was meant for the
purpose that if employer rejected negotiating with unions, then the law would offer a system for

trade unions to access an independent tribunal in order for it to offer a fair settlement on both
sides.
The emergence of conciliation and arbitration act of 1904 as a principle enabled the parliament
to enact laws and have the mandate to prevent and settle industrial disputes.
This act was then followed by a landmark case which brought about the idea of establishment of
minimum wage. Australia industrial awards system developed to uphold minimum rates of wage
for all work and a relative decrease in the amount of working hours per week.it also led to
offering of overtime, penalty rates (Davidson, Timo and Wang 2010, P.451). Pressure increased
in the system bringing wage breakouts in the 1980.various powerful trade unions started go
negotiate for wage increment above existing award rates. From the 1950s onward the industrial
relation system became every complex. Melbourne stone masons and construction workers
became the first bunch of industrial workers to win 8 hr.
Principles
Australia must move to another, spotless economy dependent on low contamination, high
aptitudes and high wages. Basic to this is a mechanical relations framework with a solid
wellbeing net that encourages powerful aggregate haggling and representative contribution in
change.
2. The Fair Work Act needs to make work/life balance a need. 'Adaptability' must turn into a
two-way road. Individuals need more prominent power over their working hours and courses of
action.
3. The Act needs to put more prominent accentuation on handling joblessness and occupation
instability.

4workers rights and entitlements: workers need better access to debate settlement.
(Specifically, we have to close the proviso that draws out state open segment debate by denying
e.g. educator and medical attendant’s access to full intervention. Undertaking understandings
ought to likewise require successful and restricting question goals instruments.)
5. Discrimination: Reasonable Work Australia ought to have progressively custom fitted forces
to manage modern activity in order to counter workers discrimination.
(FWA ought to think about whether any extraordinary mechanical activity is being accomplished
for strategic purposes to accomplish a work environment assurance. FWA ought to have capacity
to issue custom fitted requests to evacuate the 'hurtful' part of mechanical activity.)
6. The legislature should total the 'incomplete business' of revoking the Work Choices
confinements on representatives' bartering, not include further limitations .this ensures a good
process of workers transitional arrangement (Foxhall 2018,P.1815).
7. Australian law ought to consent to universal law under the enforcement a judicial process.
(This incorporates managers and representatives having the capacity to deal about issues
applicable to their social, monetary and ecological interests. Understandings ought to be between
somewhere around two gatherings.)
8. Least norms ought not to be lessened and singular work environment game plans ought not to
abrogate aggregate understandings or least principles. This plan I sunder state and federal system
9. Working environment laws and relocation laws should be better adjusted. This in line with the
principle of workplace relation amendment act 2005 (Healy 2015, P.384).

(Australian least principles ought to apply on all asset and development ventures, including those
seaward. Plans like Enterprise Migration Agreements ought to be directed and progressively
straightforward.)
10. Awards, Enterprise bargaining Agreements (EBA) and Unfair Dismissals. This principle is
important since it motivates the workers .The significant hindrances to efficiency development
are training and abilities, framework and advancement, can be reduced.
(Efficiency Commission proof recommends that the least rate of profitability development
corresponded with the time of Work Choices (Kaufman 2010, p.798). Business bunches have not
put forth out a defense that current mechanical relations laws are abating efficiency
development.)
The poor industrial relations practices in the construction industry in the
1980’s and 1990’s;
Industrial disputes
Industrial disputes reduced from 1518 in the year 1987 to 134 in the year 2007.the large decrease
witnessed in the existing industrial disputes as brought about by the legislative changes .the
various critical changes evident in the workplace relation legislation are important as they made
the Australian industrial relations commissions stronger against various illegal action son
industrial disputes.
As the decentralized bargaining system emerged, industrial disputes became more lawful on
during the bargaining time, occupational health and safety conditions was an exception (Kelly
2012, p.89). The workplace relations amendment act 2005 brought about long-term changes in

the legal requirement and procedures for industrial action. This prompted employees to register
and cast votes when considering a strike or any action (Stanton, Young, and Bartram, and
Leggat, 2010, p.89).
The changing trends in industrial law since the 1980’s;
Economic and various legislative trends have increasing revamped the typical Australian
industrial relations. Over the years, there have been a trend of marked decline in the industrial
disputes. Various economic and social factors will decide if this particular trend will continue in
the long term.
Attitudes of workers, employees and also trade union shave changed. Trends relating to prices
and income accords have been negotiated thus offering probable solutions to employment issues
(Long and Shields 2010, p.1145).
The current industrial relations legislation and employment law relevant to the
Construction industry;
The industrial relations legislations have led to the emergence of high deregulation of the
existing labor market. Tween year 1983-1996 various prices and income accords have been
negotiated. There have been a continuous shift from collective bargaining ta the national and
industrial level to the existing enterprise bargaining at the local workplace
According to industrial relation reforms act of 1993, Awards as a means of negotiating
employment condition shave become the safety net for most vulnerable industrial construction
workers (Lyons and Ingersoll 2010, p.200).

As workplace relations Act of 196 emerged, it brought about more deregulation of the labor
market .Also Australian workplace agreements were established in order to ensure individual
agreements between workers and employers. There was development of privatization and
corporatization of various public firms. The work place relations amendment of 2005 brought
about emergence of Australian fair pay commission. This authority had a role to set and modify
federal minimum wages and classification of salaries. Unfair dismissal provisions for firms with
lower number of workers like less than 100 was demolished (Markey and Patmore 2011, p.144).
Enforcement of industrial relations legislation at a Federal and State level;
In year 2010, there existed only 2 distinct system of industrial laws for the private domain in the
entire Australia. All the other states and territories rather than Western Australia became part of
the federal industrial relation system (Young, S., Peetz, D. and Marais, M., 2011,p.77). This is
because these states have handed over their jurisdiction or authority to make industrial laws in
the federal government.
In these states and federal government, fair work commission replaced the existing Australian
industrial relations commission.
Some of it aspects of the enforced industrial relations legislation of fair work commission
include the following;
Various issuance of awards and proper agreements
Employing procedure for staff (Wilkinson, Townsend, and Burgess 2013, p.99).
Pay slips and also record maintenance
Solving workplace disputes. These are enforceable under the parliamentary law

Maintaining the 10 national employment standards
The differing functions of key stakeholders in Industrial Relations;
Community and employers: they have huge role to employ workers, pay and ensure workers are
working in favorable conditions. The community supports the firms with labor force
Employee associations: they have the responsibility to carry out their duties in the work place
like production and construction (Muir and Peetz, 2010 p.45).
Trade unions: solving workers disputes and also negotiating pay and conditions
State and federal governments; enacting laws and acts that solve industrial disputes.
Enforcing bodies (FWA).They have the function to enforce industrial laws enacted to make sure
they are adhered to
Possible implications of industrial disputes on the wider community, the
Economy and the politics of state and commonwealth governments
Work-stoppages devastate the specialists really engaged with the question and, in this way,
decreases, and their interest for the products made by different ventures (Wise 2011 p.78).
Furthermore, if the business under work-stoppage makes things that are utilized in the lead of
different enterprises, it decreases the supply of crude materials for their generation (Peetz 2012
p.56).This at last outcomes in loss of yield and, thus, decreases the national pay.
Moreover, unremitting work stoppage, attributable to strikes, estranges man from other men in
the mechanical society. This outcomes to a separate in the socialization work that work serves.

Another social expense of strike is that it paints a terrible picture and throws a social disgrace on
the two gatherings engaged with the modern clash (Poole 2013, p.22).Strikes particularly visit
and delayed ones, make the general public to have a terrible or negative judgment of the
gatherings included. For example, ASUU has variously been decreed as a gathering of
avaricious, vain people who are simply after their egotistical enthusiasm, inferable from their
incessant and regularly extended strikes. Then again, their managers, the legislature, have been
marked a bundle of obtuse parcels.
Financially, strikes and different types of mechanical clash and work stoppages demolish the
ideal development and improvement in the economy (Pyman, Holland, and Teicher, and Cooper
2010, p.321).
Industrial question mean debate among workers and business. On the off chance that there are
modern debate, the yield of the businesses will decrease.
This will effectively affect the economy:
1. Swelling - which implies value rise. Because of interest being the equivalent in the economy
scaled down supply of the merchandise will expand the costs.
2. Low GDP development - decreased yield will at last lessen the GDP.
Presently in the short run, these two impacts will be watched (Saunders, P. and Deeming, C.,
2011, p.371).
In summary there will be political disputes and decreased projected growth of economy. Foreign
investment will lower hence depreciation of the Australian currency.
It also leads to political disputes with other nations

Expanded imports in addition to diminished fares (because of low residential creation) in long
run will build exchange shortfall. Subsequently, government borrowings should be expanded to
make up for exchange shortage and decreased remote speculation (Ryan, Burgess, Connell and
Groen 2013, p.161). Government may build duties to lessen its borrowings. Because of low
generation, work request will lessen. Subsequently, joblessness will increment. The economy
will endure a ton over the long haul if modern debate are not settled.
The future of Australian industrial relations.
The current liberal government is aimed at making sure that in future the workers have fair pay
and remuneration (Underhill and Rimmer 2016, p.608). They are also aimed at reducing work
disputes through ensuring workers are treated fairly without discrimination and ensure that the
employers agree to the fair terms and conditions. It also ensures that there is law governing and
protecting both employers and employees interest in order to ensure that the future of industrial
relation is better.

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