These standards are occupational health and safety, the prevention of child labour, freedom of association, the right to organise, the right to bargain collectively, the prevention of forced labour, and anti-discrimination measures. It protects workers in poor countries being played off against each other by rich country employers. Originally trade union membership was popular as it offered employees many benefits such as a collective voice and it gives employees a greater amount of power to achieve the pleasant working conditions they are after. The framework of the Australian Industrial Relations system has, since 1904, involved a federal based system of conciliation and arbitration, establishing minimum rates of pay and conditions for different occupations, and it has been coupled with the equivalent state based systems. Trade unions also prove effective when they act as lobby groups as a means of getting both parliament and the publics attention something that would be difficult to do as an individual ( Balnave et al, 2007, pg 135). Once upon a time it was quiet important for employees to be part of a union as it entitled them to have a collective voice, and power to build a pleasurable workplace. database? Read past policies and speeches from previous ACTU Congresses. 2 pp 225-239 Riley, J, & Sarina, T, 2005, 'Industrial legislation in 2005', Journal of industrial relations, vol About Trade unions, Australian Council of Trade Unions, viewed 10th April, 2010 http . For example, the Accord was re-negotiated from mid 1985 when it was clear that a severe terms of trade decline had slashed Australia's national income. First of all I welcome the delegation to Australia, and we are most appreciative that you have taken the time to come to the ACTU to get a trade union viewpoint on industrial relations and the economy in Australia. The increase in employment, and the increase in the labor force participation rate is clear from the graph. These agreements allowed for employers to work closely with their employees to set their own working conditions that would be suited to their work practices. There have been many factors that have contributed to this decline in union memberships such as changes in workplace structure as well as increase in employee numbers (Patmore, 1992, pg 227 ). These agreements enabled the employer and employee to formulate their own agreement conditions without any input from unions. Oz HillBilly. On this basis, under the Accord, the average annual working days lost due to industrial disputes fell by 65% in Australia, relative to the pre-Accord period under Fraser. would like to express thanks to Hall & Wilcox and the Fair Work Ombudsman for assisting us with the preparation of this material. This is an outdated picture of present day reality. The ACTU is proud of its achievements in terms of the Accord, and trade union and industrial relations reform. Recognising that for many workers retirement incomes are still inadequate, the ACTU is campaigning for a lift in employer superannuation contributions to 12%. Learn more Higher wages Through collective bargaining, wage-theft recovery, personal support, and our minimum wage campaign, union members get paid an average of $250 per week more that non-members. From here on in the traditional Australian model of industrial relations was tarnished as yet again the people had chosen a government who had introduced an anti- union plan ( Barnes, 2005, 370). These acts placed large restrictions on unions and as a result the number of union memberships continued to decline. The Accord has undergone a number of changes in its 11 year history, but it essentially remains a process of consultation between the ACTU and the Federal Government. In fact the Australian union movement is the only one in the world to have restructured itself during peace time. It was forged as an alternative economy strategy to the Conservative Governments policy which had left Australia with double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, low profit levels, poor health and social security policies, and an extremely high level of industrial disputation by historical and international standards. However one of the biggest impacts of all was the re-election of the liberal government in 1996. 3, pp 365-378 Cooper, R, 2005 Trade Unionism in 2004, Journal of industrial relations, vol. The unions have a long and proud history with the Australian worker and had always been known to have the back of the working class in their fight for better working conditions, rights and opportunities in the workplace. U. V. W. Y. Bakery Employees & Salesmens Federation of Australia (1979 - ) Baking Trade Employees Federation of Australasia (i) (1914 - 1918) Baking Trade Employees Federation of Australasia (ii) (1918 - 1950) Baking Trade Employees Federation of Australia (1950 - 1981) Baking Trade Employees Union of NSW. Australian Railways Union (Western Australian Branch) [10] Railway Industry Council. The wage moderation of the Accord has ensured that Australia is a low inflation country in the 1990's. OpenDocument. It has also become increasingly important to assist women workers who have played an important part in labour market participation over the decade. There are those who attempt to paint, those who advocate a link between trade and labor rights or the social clause as protectionists. These rights include working conditions, better wages, and security in the workforce. 7, no. A chart explaining the ACTU's Asia strategy, and our trade union relationships is found in Attachments 10 and 11 of your document. Only in the US is that standard lower, and that is dependent on length of service. A union official (permit holder) can only enter your workplace to: during work hours in any lunch break or other time when you are not working. This was compensated by income tax cuts. For more information you can contact your trade union. The peak body for unions in Australia is the Australian Council of Trade Unions. In 1983 it was the only Labor Government in almost 30 years since World War II. 2 pp 225-239 Riley, J, & Sarina, T, 2005, Industrial legislation in 2005. The Accord partners were motivated to negotiate a safety net of basic societal protections and opportunities in order to avoid the emergence of an underclass as has existed in both industrialised and developing countries, and maintain social cohesion. It is up to us in the ACTU and among our affiliates to change people's perceptions of Australia and Australian trade unions, and I hope that this talk is a small step along that path. By continuing well assume youre on board with our The rate of workers joining unions is on a downward slide, noticeably so in the public sector, despite the fact the. This shows the contribution the trade union movement has made through the Accord process. From the years 1850-1990, trade unions were officially established in Australia (ACTU website) and various unions were formed such as the shearers union, seaman union and miners union (ACTU website). Freedom of association means the right of any worker to choose whether or not to join a trade union. The framework of the Australian Industrial Relations system has, since 1904, involved a federal based system of conciliation and arbitration, establishing minimum rates of pay and conditions for different occupations, and it has been coupled with the equivalent state based systems. Essay, Balnave, N, Brown, J, Maconachie G, & Stone, RJ 2007 Employment Relations in Australia, 2nd edn, Wiley, Milton, QLD. Trade liberalisation by itself will not trickle benefits to workers and their families without the appropriate mechanisms. In the last decade there has been a major restructuring of the Australian union movement. 51, no. For information and advice about the Fair Work System including your rights, entitlements and obligations, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website, their help page or call the Fair Work Info line on 13 13 94. Details of the social wage are attached in Section 8. Employees join unions for various reasons as already discussed such as the ability to be heard as a collective voice rather then as an individual, protection from employers, economic benefits and the culture of a workplace (Balnave et al, 2007, pg 169). aspx, Feature article- Trade union membership, Australian Bureau of statistics, viewed 10th April 2010 http://www. Over the years unions have been forced to change with the times. The Accord partners promised 500,000 additional jobs between 1993 and 1996. 8, no. Together with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the Labour government launched a television campaign that dealt with issues such as job security, and a large level of unfairness that they believed was occurring in the workplace (Barnes, 2005,pg 375 ). It is also against the law for your employer to fire you for belonging to a trade union. The Ethnic and demographic diversity of the trade union movement is significant. Being part of a union enables protection for an employee in many areas including training, recruitment, wages and conditions of the workplace (Balnave et al, 2007, pg 132). In the beginning, most unions were developed in manufacturing and resource companies such as steel mills, textile factories and mines. Firstly they destroyed the No disadvantage Test, therefore there was no way in which to test employees were receiving basic wages and that their conditions of work were up to standards (Riley & Sarina, 2005, pg 342). We are affiliated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Asian Pacific Regional Organisation (ICFTU/APRO) in Singapore, the South Pacific and Oceanic Council of Trade Unions, (SPOCTU), and in addition individual ACTU Affiliates have undertaken numerous project work throughout the region, in Cambodia, in Vietnam, in Indonesia, in Fiji, the Cook Islands, and throughout the South Pacific. Establishing Contacts between the Workers and the Employers iv. It is important to note that Australia is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual country. The overhead shows You can see quite clearly the high level of industrial disputation in the late 1970's and early 1980's, followed by a sustainable reduction in industrial disputes for the rest of the decade up until the early 90's. Find out how ACTU Member Connect works with unions to provide benefits that add value to union membership. 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