Leader: Ms Paula Darvas

Offered

Not offered in 2008

Synopsis

Topics include the nature of interstate industrial disputes which can be settled by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission; bargaining and certified agreements and Australian Workplace Agreements; subject matter and role of awards and enterprise agreements; parties to awards and agreements; how awards and agreements can be varied and enforced; the position of the non-unionist in the system; unfair dismissals; the use of the labour power, s 51(35) of the Constitution, and other constitutional heads of power in enacting labour relations laws.

Objectives

The learning objectives of this unit are to:

• Describe the legal framework for workplace relations in contemporary Australia;
• Critically analyse the role which the legislature, the courts, tribunals and international bodies have played in developing the legal framework for Australian industrial relations;
• Critically evaluate the legal operation of the federal system of dispute settlement and of determining conditions of employment by collective or individual agreements.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 25%
Final Examination (2 hours plus 10 minutes reading time): 75%

Contact hours

Two 1-hour lectures and one 1-hour tutorial per week

Prerequisites

Any four second-year units