Getting Agreement: A Review of Industrial Agreements in Victoria 1981-1990

Abstract

The role of industrial tribunals in promoting or hindering flexibility in industrial relations practices and outcomes is central to the debate concerning the future direction of industrial relations in Australia. In Victoria, flexibility within the existing institutional framework is provided by Part I V of the Industrial Relations Act 1979, by allowing for the registration of industrial agreements. Although these provisions are potentially far reaching, an analysis of the agreements registered in the period under review indicates that the parties have been reluctant to fully utilize these provisions. The flexibility currently available to the parties through the award system, it is argued, has tended to mitigate against the use of the Part IV provisions.