Edited by B Ellem, R Markey & J Shields
Federation Press, 2004
$49.95
Unions have had a rough time over the past few years in Australia, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better for them.
For more than 150 years, peak unions have been a central part of the Australian industrial relations landscape. Peak Unions in Australia: Origins, Purpose, Power, Agency, is the first detailed study of the making and development of Australia’s peak unions.
The book looks at the remarkably varied nature of unions and their influence at different times in different places. It provides insights from the fields of industrial relations, history, geography, organisational studies and political science.
The book opens with two conceptual chapters which develop a model for explaining the formation and changing purpose and power of peak unions. It goes on to explore the whole range of peak unions and labour councils. The last chapter is somewhat controversial and looks at the modus operandi of the ACTU and whether it can play a meaningful purpose over the coming years.
With a respected panel of both contributors and editors, Peak Unions in Australia: Origins, Purpose, Power, Agency is a thought provoking read for those interested in unions within Australia.