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Reforming The Australian Workplace Through Employee Participation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2023
Abstract
The past decade witnessed a wide range of industrial relations reforms in Australia. Employee participation and industrial democracy was espoused by the Labor government (1983–96) as a key element in its workplace reform program. It was also embraced by the trade union movement and, to a lesser extent, by leading employers and their associations. A case study of employee participation in the Ford Motor Company is used to illustrate the process of workplace reform in Australia during this period While Ford Australia provides a positive example of workplace change, it is argued that the promise of employee participation has not generally been fulfilled in Australian industry. Contributing factors identified in the paper include economic recession, the decline of trade union membership and a lack of ‘people’ skills in managerial ranks.
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- Research Article
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- Copyright © The Author(s) 1996
Footnotes
The authors appreciate the invaluable advice and assistance of Greg Bamber, Mark Shadur, Tom Bramble and Christine Breakspear and the editorial assistance of Kellie Caught and Rene Kienzle. They also would like to thank the managers and employees of Ford and the union representatives that contributed to this study.
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