Work Place Unionism

Abstract

Little is known about Australian shop floor union organisation. This arises partly because of the failure of the formal institutions that dominate industrial relations to give positive guidance on the role of shop stewards and shop committees. For example, although union rule books sometimes make provision for work place representatives, beyond offering us a wide variety of names by which they can be known they tell us little about their actual work. Union administrative duties are usually specified including such matters as recruiting new members, collecting subscriptions, and keeping membership records, but even the most detailed rule books make scant reference to the steward’s role in bargaining. Although a common requirement exists that stewards report grievances, breaches of award and stoppages of work to the union secretary, such rules are very general, and cannot, in practice, be observed literally.

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