11 July 2012

Kates: Workplace relations decline continues

(Safety Solutions, 11 July 2012)

On the three-year anniversary of the Fair Work Act 2009, the latest AMMA Workplace Relations Research report, on its operation and impact on the resource industry, has shown an ongoing deterioration of the Australian workplace relations (WR) environment.

The main findings of the report, which covers the survey’s findings for the period from November 2011 to April 2012, show a continued deterioration in the overall WR environment as well as in employer perceptions of levels of labour productivity and direct employee engagement, under the current IR system.

This may indicate a growing level of interest in issues surrounding the operation of the Fair Work Act and an increased investment on the part of the resource industry in lobbying for necessary workplace change, says the author of the report, Dr Steven Kates from the School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, RMIT University.

Note: this is an extract only, not the full article.