The Limits of Enterprise Autonomy: Enterprise Bargaining in the Australian Domestic Airline Industry

Abstract

This paper identifies a model of enterprise bargaining which has recently been advocated by some Australian employer groups. Under this ‘autonomous enterprise'model, ‘genuine’ enterprise bargaining is supposed to produce comprehensive agreements which set terms and conditions of employment which are company-specific. The experience of enterprise bargaining in the Australian domestic airline industry is then compared with that model. It is found that, contrary to the model, the two major airlines have negotiated enterprise agreements which are remarkably similar, with wage increases and workplace reforms following strong industry-wide trends. The explanation offered for the lack of enterprise autonomy focuses on both institutional factors and structural features of the industry's product