Employer Matters in 2008

Abstract

In terms of employer matters, the year 2008 may be best characterized as one dominated by change, challenge and Canberra, as the political landscape was transformed, industrial relations legislation was rewritten and global capitalism went into financial meltdown. The new political and economic environment seemed to demand a greater emphasis on consultation, efforts at cooperation and, dare I say it, in some cases even 'consensus'. Nevertheless, employers were nonetheless active in pursuing their own objectives, with the main employer associations preoccupied for most of 2008 lobbying for changes and amendments to the form and substance of Labor's new industrial relations regime, Forward with Fairness. Importantly, the new industrial and legal landscape suggested that the changed status of the 'parties' vis-a-vis awards, is likely to lead to increased competition for relevance among employer associations, leading to a series of amalgamations and rationalization, much as occurred with unions in the 1990s.

Unions and Collective Bargaining in 2011

“…The TWU’s campaign of industrial action of mainly one- to two-hour stoppages commenced in September and continued into October. Both the ALAEA and TWU called stoppages only to cancel them, sometimes with little notice, causing disruption as Qantas tried to reschedule cancelled and delayed flights (Hannan, 2011a; Heasley, 2011a). Two announcements by Qantas in August aggravated the growing tension with the unions.…”

The ‘New’ Industrial Relations and International Economic Crisis: Australia in 2009

“…The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR, 2009) recorded the lodgement of an unprecedented number of agreements in the June 2009 quarter (5,467). While the increase was recorded across all agreement types, a substantial proportion of lodged agreements, covering an estimated 133,400 employees, were made without the involvement of unions (being either 'employee' or 'employer greenfield'), suggesting that employers were rushing to avoid both the requirements of the Fair Work system and also the increased union involvement they perceived was attached to bargaining in the new bargaining system (see MacKinnon, 2009;Todd, 2010).…”

Employer and Employer Association Matters in 2009

“…Individual Flexibility Agreements (IFAs), required in every award and agreement, have continued to be contentious with conflict occurring over the type of flexibility embodied in IFAs, as flagged previously (MacKinnon, 2009). From the perspective of employers, they provide the capacity for individual negotiation and employers are not required to report their use of them.…”

“…This was the position, for example, of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), the National Farmers Federation (NFF), the Restaurant and Caterers Association (RCA), the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the AHA (ACCI, 2009a; AHA, 2009; ARA, 2009; NFF, 2009; RCA, 2009a). However, the Ai Group, in line with its tradition of slightly more generous recommendations (MacKinnon, 2009), advocated an increase of 22 cents per hour (Ai Group, 2009a).…”