The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study
Falling membership numbers and declining union density are issues of concern for many Australian unions. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that between 2005 and 2008, trade union membership declined from 22.4% to 18.9% of the workforce. Studies and statistics consistently show that union...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Sage Publications Ltd.
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/30536 |
| _version_ | 1848753116733767680 |
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| author | Oliver, Bobbie |
| author_facet | Oliver, Bobbie |
| author_sort | Oliver, Bobbie |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Falling membership numbers and declining union density are issues of concern for many Australian unions. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that between 2005 and 2008, trade union membership declined from 22.4% to 18.9% of the workforce. Studies and statistics consistently show that union membership and density are lowest in Western Australia, despite trend reversals elsewhere. Using the Western Australian branches of two 'blue-collar' unions - the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, Western Australian Branch and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, covering a range of transport, metal working, printing and manufacturing trades - as examples, this article examines whether privatisation has contributed significantly to falling trade union density and membership in this state. These unions represented large public sector workforces. In order to test the hypothesis that privatisation has adversely affected union membership and density, the article examines three areas: changing policies in the Australian Labor Party, the breaking down of union culture and changes in trade training, and concludes that privatisation is a significant factor in the recent decline of these two unions. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:19:24Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-30536 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:19:24Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Sage Publications Ltd. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-305362017-09-13T15:33:37Z The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study Oliver, Bobbie union security Education and training industrial relations trade unions privatisation Falling membership numbers and declining union density are issues of concern for many Australian unions. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that between 2005 and 2008, trade union membership declined from 22.4% to 18.9% of the workforce. Studies and statistics consistently show that union membership and density are lowest in Western Australia, despite trend reversals elsewhere. Using the Western Australian branches of two 'blue-collar' unions - the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, Western Australian Branch and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, covering a range of transport, metal working, printing and manufacturing trades - as examples, this article examines whether privatisation has contributed significantly to falling trade union density and membership in this state. These unions represented large public sector workforces. In order to test the hypothesis that privatisation has adversely affected union membership and density, the article examines three areas: changing policies in the Australian Labor Party, the breaking down of union culture and changes in trade training, and concludes that privatisation is a significant factor in the recent decline of these two unions. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/30536 10.1177/1035304613518475 Sage Publications Ltd. fulltext |
| spellingShingle | union security Education and training industrial relations trade unions privatisation Oliver, Bobbie The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study |
| title | The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study |
| title_full | The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study |
| title_fullStr | The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study |
| title_short | The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study |
| title_sort | impact of privatisation on union membership and density: a western australian case study |
| topic | union security Education and training industrial relations trade unions privatisation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/30536 |