Holding the Line: Compulsory Arbitration and National Employer Co-ordination in Australia

284 Pages·1989·3.27 MB·English

by  David H. Plowman

HOLDING THE LINE
Compulsory arbitration
and national
employer co-ordination
in Australia

HOLDING
THE
LINE
Compulsory arbitration
and national
employer co-ordination
in Australia
DaviHd. P lowman
School ofI ndustrial Relations and Organizational Behaviour
University of New South Wales
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge
New York Port Chester Melbourne Sydney
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A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication data
PlowmanD,. H.( DaviHd. ).
Holdintgh el inec,o mpulsoarryb itraatnidon na tioneamlp loyceor- ordinaitni on
Australia
Bibliography
I. AustralCioaunn ciolfE mployerFse'de rati-onHsi stor2y.A. r bitration,
Industr-iAauls tral-iaH istor3y.I. n dustrriealla ti-oAnuss tral-iaH istory.
I.T itle.
331.89'143'0994
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
PlowmanD,. H .
Holdintgh el inec:o mpulsoarryb itraatnidon na tioneamlp loyceor- ordinaitni on
AustraIl Diaav idH .P lowman.
p. cm.
By-produocftt h es(iPsh D.. )- FlindeUrnsi versoiftS yo utAhu stralia.
Bibliograpp.h y:
I. AustralCioaunn ciolfE mployers' Fed-erHaitsitoonr y.
2.A rbitratIinodnu,s tr-iAauls tra-liHai stor3y.I. n dustrriealla ti-oAnuss tralia
- HistorIy.T. i tle.
HD5630.AGP5169 88
331.891'4 3' 0994d-c1 9
ISBN9 78-0-521-36085-2 Hardback
ISBN9 78-0-521-12P5a9p6e-r3b ack
CambridUgnei versPirteys hsa sn or esponsibfoirl tihtepy e rsistoern ce
accuraocfyU RLsfo r externoartl h ird-pianrtteyrn weetb sitreesfe rretdoi n
thipsu blicatainoddn o,e sn otg uarantteheaa tn yc onteonnts uchw ebsitiess,
orw ilrle maianc,c uraotrae p propriate.
CONTENTS
List of tables and figures vii
List of abbreviations VIII
Acknowledgements Xl
Introduction XIII
1 Industrial legislation and the rise of permanent employer
associations 1890-1906
Temporary associations; industrial legislation
Theo rganisatiroensapoln sEem:p loyers' federations and the CCEA;
the parliamentary front; the industrial and legal offensive; summary
and conclusion
2 The Higgins era 1907-1920 19
Litigation; the 'New Province'; the industrial front
Organisational devCeClEoAp dmeevenlotpsm:en ts; the common
front; summary and conclusion
3 Rival shops 1921-1929 48
Dual regulation; test cases
Associ ationc ompetitiaonndc o-operatIindounst:ry associations;
CCEA discord; closer organisation of employers; The Committee of
Control re Basic Wage and Working Hours; summary and conclusion
4 Depression and recovery 1930-1939 75
Depression; economic recovery and the conversion to arbitration
TheC entrCaolu ncainld i ndusturniiafolrm itTyh:e CCEA split;
industrial co-ordination; summary and conclusion
5 War and government executive action 1940-1949 100
The New Order; the Arbitration Court and executive action; test cases
Assoc iatigroonw tha ndc ohesiTohne :AC EF; employer cohesion;
summary and conclusion
Contents
6 Consolidation 1950-1959 125
Tripartism; national test cases
Confederation AgCeEnFes dievse:lo pments; Confederation
attempts; national employer co-ordination; summary and conclusion
7 The National Employers' Associations 1960-1972 150
The total wage and its aftermath
Employuenri tayn dd isuniAtyC:EF initiatives; the ACMA and the
metal employers' split; the National Employers' Associations;
summary and conclusion
8 Confederation 1973-1988 172
The Conciliation and Arbitration Act; national tripartite consultation;
the recentralisation of wage determination
TowardCso nfederaNtEiAo onp:er ations 1973-1977; from
Secretariat to Confederation; CAI operations 1978-1980; post-1980
strains; summary and conclusion
9 Models of national employer co-ordination 206
The mutual defence model; the federation model; the alliance model;
the secretariat model; the confederation model; summary and
conclusion
Appendices 241
1 Registered employer organisations 1905-87
2 Employers' Declaration of Policy 1945
3 ACEF and ACMA Basic Principles for Merger 1973
Bibliography 247
Records of organisations 253
Index 259
TABLES AND FIGURES
TABLES
4.1 Basic wage and standard hours of work in capital cities,
1932 84
6.1 Cost to employers of national test cases, 1950-59 131
6.2 Industry affiliations, employers' federations, 1957 135
6.3 Membership, employers' federations, 1957 136
8.1 CAI Foundation Members' subscriptions 1978-79 193
FIGURES
Fig. 3.1 Unitary model of employer co-ordination ( 1920) 64
Fig. 3.2 Federal scheme I for employer co-ordination (1920) 65
Fig. 3.3 Federal scheme II for employer co-ordination (1920) 65
Fig. 3.4 Practical federal scheme for employer co-ordination
(1920) 66
Fig. 9.1 The federation model (1904) 209
Fig. 9.2 The alliance model (1924-58) 214
Fig. 9.3 TheNEAmodel (1961-78) 225
Fig. 9.4 Confederation models (197 4-77) 237
vu
ABBREVIATIONS
ACAC Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission
ACCA Associated Chambers of Commerce of Australia
ACEF Australian Council of Employers' Federations
ACM Australian Chamber of Manufactures
ACMA Associated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia
A COLA Automatic Cost of Living Adjustments
ACSPA Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations
ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions
AMIA Australian Metal Industries Association
AMMA Australian Mines and Metals Association
AR (NSW) Arbitration Reports (NSW Industrial Commission)
AWGC Australian Woolgrowers' and Graziers' Council
BCA Business Council of Australia
BWSC Basic Wage Steering Committee
BWWP Basic Wage Working Party
CandM Conciliation and Arbitration Act
CAG EO Council of Australian Government Employee Organisations
CAI Confederation of Australian Industry
CAR Commonwealth Arbitration Reports
CCC Consultative and Co-ordinating Committee
CCCA Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
CCEA Central Council of Employers of Australia
CEO Central Employers' Organisation
CIS Central Industrial Secretariat
CLR Commonwealth Law Reports
CMNSW Chamber of Manufactures of NSW
CSOA Commonwealth Steamship Owners' Association
CWAI Confederation of Western Australian Industry
DEIR Department of Employment and Industrial Relations
DLand NS Department of Labour and National Service
EATD Engineering and Allied Trades Division (of the VCM)
EFNSW Employers' Federation of NSW
ER Employers' Review Oournal of EFNSW)
FCCM Federation Council of the Chambers of Manufactures
FEAWA Federated Employers' Assurance of Western Australia
GFCA Graziers' Federal Council of Australia
ICE Interstate Conference of Employers
Vlll
List of abbreviations
IRC Industrial Relations Council
MATFA Meat and Allied Trades Federation of Australia
MLAC Ministry of Labour Advisory Council
MTEA Metal Trades Employers' Association
MTIA Metal Trades Industry Association
NEA National Employers' Associations
NEIC National Employers' Industrial Committee (to 1977);
National Employers' Industrial Council (after 1977)
NEPC National Employers' Policy Committee
NETIC National Employers' Trade and Industry Council
NFF National Farmers' Federation
NLAC National Labour Advisory Council
NTEF National Territory Employers' Federation
NTIC National Trade and Industry Council
NSWIG New South Wales Industrial Gazette
PATEFA Printing and Allied Trades Employers' Federation of Australia
P&CC Policy and Consultative Committee
QCI Queensland Confederation of Industry
QEF Queensland Employers' Federation
SACM South Australian Chamber of Manufactures
SAEF South Australian Employers' Federation
TEF Tasmanian Employers' Federation
TLC Trades and Labour Council
VCM Victorian Chamber of Manufactures
VEF Victorian Employers' Federation
VEU Victorian Employers' Union
WACM Western Australian Chamber of Manufactures
WAEF Western Australian Employers' Federation
WEB Women's Employment Board
lX