Regional Workplace Bargaining: Evidence From The Hunter Workplace Change Survey

This paper reports on the finding of a 1992/93 survey conducted by the authors of 21 workplaces in the Hunter region of New South Wales. The purpose of the survey was to gather information on the progress, processes and outcomes associated with award restructuring and enterprise bargaining. The paper focuses on the processes of workplace reform and the associated workplace institutions, but also includes a brief discussion of outcomes. In particular there was interest in the extent to which award restructuring principles had been implemented, the extent to which employees were involved in the change process and the type of changes that were implemented. Overall the impression was one of extensive change with high degrees of trade union and employee participation. While there were differences across the workplaces in the type of change and extent of employee participation the over-riding finding was one of co-operation and active trade union involvement in the change process.