Subject: Employment Relations
Case Study Instructions
Imagine you are working at the FairWork Commission in the office of the President, Justice Iain Ross AO. Justice Ross has asked you to conduct an analysis of one key industrial dispute that has shaped Australian Employment Relations. Your analysis will form the basis of a lecture he is giving a LaTrobe University in three months time.
Justice Ross has asked you to select one of the following workplace disputes:
- The Qantas lockout of employees in 2011
- The 1989 Pilot’s strike
- The 1986 50 day Victorian Nurses strike
- 1998 Australian Waterfront dispute
- The CFMEU-Grocon dispute
- Or another industrial dispute (approved by Dr Nicola McNeil)
You should undertake research from academic journals, books, industry sources and the media about your chosen dispute and write a Report which addresses the following issues and questions:
- What was the dispute about? Provide background information to the factors that precipitated the dispute if necessary and explain how the dispute unfolded;
- Did any external business environment factors contribute to the dispute between the parties? If so, explain the relationship between these factors and the dispute.
- Analyse the dispute from the point of view of each relevant stakeholders or actors in the dispute (such as the employer, employees, unions, employer associations and State and Federal Governments). Consider the goals of each stakeholder in the dispute, and the industrial strategies or tactics used to forward their claim.
- How was the dispute resolved?
- Do you think the dispute was resolved effectively? Consider the implications of this dispute on Employment Relations in Australia.
Make sure you cite and correctly reference your sources, using the Academy of Management referencing style.
Also, ensure that you understand the difference between quoting and paraphrasing. For help with paraphrasing, see the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
