The paper examines industrial relations in the shipping industries of two Liberal Market Economies (LMEs), Australia and the United States and in two Coordinated Market Economies (CMEs), Germany and Denmark. Hall and Soskice?s (2001) theory of Liberal versus Coordinated market economies has been...

Purpose ? Aims to test Walton and McKersie?s theory on labour negotiations, specifically in the case of German car manufacturers. Design/methodology/approach ? The research is based on interviews with industrial actors in Germany?s car industry ? an empirical case study. Findings ? The article...

The increasing acceptance of enterprise bargaining by both employers and trade unions in Australia calls into question not only the ongoing role of industrial tribunals, but also that of employer associations and their traditional role in the collective representation of individual employers in...

Academic and other research has consistently shown that the work of child care workers has historically been undervalued due to its feminised nature, its charitable origins and a low rate of unionisation. However employer submissions to wage fixing tribunals have both challenged a higher...

This article critically examines the tensions and challenges multinational mining companies (MNMCs,) face in the formation and control of the workforce in a developing country setting. Data gathered through extensive fieldwork, interviews and observation of Papua New Guinean mineworkers shows...

In an environment of decentralised employment relations, employers associations must reassess their role if they are to remain relevant. The Australian Retailers? Association faces a particular challenge. On the one hand, it has traditionally focused on the interests of the largest retailers, at...

This article examines contemporary management strategy in the area of effective utilisation of human resources in the retail industry. The focus of the industrial relations system has shifted from the national level to the enterprise level, and like many other industries, retail employers are...

Australian trade unions prospered for much of the last century but have suffered membership decline since the late 1970s. The growth of unions in the earlier part of the twentieth century has frequently been attributed to the establishment of a centralised conciliation and arbitration system....

Retail is a major employing industry across all nations. In the case of Australia, the retail industry employs almost fifteen per cent of the workforce (ABS 6291.0.55.001). Retail is an industry that has been slow to attract research attention. Within the last decade though, a growing body of...

In nine cases of firms which closed, productivity increases were experienced after negotiations with the affected employees were finalised, up until the final day. This productivity change is known as ‘the closedown effect’. Possible explanations for this effect reveals, contrary to the...