The managers of discontent : the social basis of the Australian arbitration system

Abstract

The Unique existence of an industrial arbitration system in Australia (and New Zealand) , and its general acceptance cannot be accounted for in terms of the industrial relations system alone . The parties involved - employers, unions and governments - have all largely imitated institutional and ideological forms originating in Britain or (in the case of some employers recently) the U.S.A. Yet both Australian employers and unions on the whole uphold a system of industrial regulation which has failed to take root in any other country , although other social innovations introduced in Australia at the turn of the century (such as the old age pension ) have long since been adopted and t hen surpassed elsewhere. Show more