Industrial Relations and Trade Unions in the South Pacific: Introduction

Abstract

While recently on the island of Pohnpei in the South Pacific, I made enquires about labour relations there and was repeatedly infoxmed that there are none! The same answer might be given for several of the island states within the South Pacific but this would overlook that even if formal industrial relations Channels are weakly established, employment and labour relations issues are by no means absent from the Pacific Islands. This special issue developed from a perceived lack of analysis and infotmation about the background of and current trends in labour relations in the South Pacific. The countries represented here are selective. This reflects the selectivity of research in the Pacific, particularly in the field of industrial relations. The nations chosen are of special relevance to New Zealand and Australia and those with the most developed industrial relations structures (Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands) are included. Papua New Guinea and Fiji also have the biggest workforces in the region. In contrast, industrial Jielations in a small micro-state, Kiribati, are also analysed. It is regrettable that only one Polynesian country, Western Samoa, is discussed but this reflects the restricted role or absence (e.g., in Tonga) of fotrnal industrial relations in much of Polynesia. The papers also have not generally tackled their subjects from an employers' perspective, again an area of resean;h which has been virtually ignored in the South Pacific.