Australian Studies in Labour Relations
1 primary work
Book 2
In Australia, industrial relations research has focused almost exclusively on the major industrial relations institutions and their role in the determination of the rules of the workplace. Local workplace industrial relations and the interaction between worker representatives and enterprise management has been a neglected area of research. This study attempts to rectify this situation. By focusing attention on the workplace, a number of important questions are raised that have not been systematically addressed in Australian industrial relations research. In particular, what, if any, is the role of shop stewards in a centralized system dominated by unions? The book also addresses the behaviour of shop stewards in the coal mining and power generation industry in the Latrobe Valley. After reviewing the existing literature, a model of shop steward behaviour is proposed based on the steward's leadership style and orientation to unionism. This model is then used to examine differences in the stewards' levels of bargaining, shop-floor organization, industrial action and relationships with members, management and unions.