Women and Enterprise Bargaining: The Legal and Institutional Framework

Abstract

There has been a move to decentralized determination of wages and conditions in Australia. The impact of this on groups such as women depends on a number of actors, including the legal and institutional framework under which such proc esses occur. This paper explores the implications of different regulatory systems or women. It argues that factors such as how the bargaining process is regulated, and the nature of the enforcement regime, will help determine how particular groups of workers, such as women, fare. It concludes that existing regulatory systems will not protect women from the adverse effects of enterprise bargaining. Deficiencies in the legislative schemes regulating the decentralized determination of wages and conditions, moreover, will not be overcome by equity measures such is anti-discrimination legislation or affirmative action.