Australian industrial relations

by D.H. Plowman

Provide the basis for systematic analysis and discovery of uniformities, inter-relationships and causal connections. An appreciation of the confluence of a variety of forces in the shaping of industrial relations problems reduces the danger of facile conclusions such as curing cost inflation by manipulating the money supply, blaming strikes mainly on the political colour of union leadership, relying heavily on legislative actions to deal industrial disharmony, or arguing for the transfer of certain industrial relations processes from one country, where they work well, to another country with a long history of a different system and a different political environment. The interaction of theory and practice and of teaching and research will provide the vehicle for progress in the subject. Industrial relations is a subject about which nearly everybody seems to have strong view, and if media reports are to be relied upon, the prevailing views urgently require less heat and more light. This book should meet the requirements of terminal and first year industrial relations courses in universities and colleges of advanced education. Its non-technical language and lucid style should also commend the book to the general reader in search of enlightenment and straight thinking.

399 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980