Trade Unionism in 1999

Abstract

In 1999 the general crisis in union density and the struggle for legitimacy in the workplace were overlain by proposed amendments to the Workplace Relations Act, award stripping, continued attacks on the public sector and by the Commonwealth government's hunting down of pattern bargaining and the union shop. In the workplace, unions were beset by the use of the lockout as a pre-emptive blow and by continued reshaping of the hours and patterns of work. In response to these threats and challenges, there were some significant changes in union direction. At the ACTU, the 'Accord generation' gave way to new faces and to an associated shift in renewal strategies. 'On the ground', some workplace issues were addressed in new ways and new organising drives bore some fruit. There were also significant developments in the scope of industrial conflict, not only between 'the titans' but at other sites and on a smaller scale as unions attempted to resist the stratagems of employers and to defend the interests of their heterogeneous membership.