Labour Review

What's New at the Information Centre

By Neal Towart

See the latest issue of Labour Review, our resource for officials, activists and students.

Community Based Labour Hire Firms

The not-for-profit firm, Career WorkKeys, says that recruitment and job placement agencies need to start looking at job seekers in terms of dynamic labour flows, rather than as a static labour pool. ACIRRT has recently completed a report on the first 18 months of the firm's operations.

(Workplace Change; issue no. 44, November 1999)

Working in the New Millenium

How will workplaces change in the early part of the 21st century? This article is based on current trends and statistical projections to 2016. Trends expected to continue include:

� Ageing of the workforce (over 80% of workforce growth will come from the 45 and over age group. This section the population will increase with declining birthrates and thus be more unwilling to retire.

� Cultural diversity will increase. With 23% of the current population overseas born and migration accounting for 47% of population growth

� Working hours seem to be stabilising or increasing, in contrast to many European countries which have been reducing working hours

� Flexible work patterns are becoming the norm with a greater spread of hours. Work and family issues are coming to the fore, with increasing numbers of women in the workforce.

� The types of working arrangements will also vary, with the current trend to more part time and casual work set to continue.

� Teamwork, networking and office communication will be key factors in the work environment. Work from home will increase as the technology enabling this improves.

(New Workplace; vol. 5, no. 4, 1999)

Trends in Leave Arrangements

Innovative clauses covering sick leave, community services leave and a Global Diversity Day have been included in recent agreements.

In the food manufacturing industry, supplementary sick leave arrangements have been developed to cover:

� Absences of less than 2 weeks after ordinary sick leave has expired

� Deliberately self inflicted injuries

� Drug and alcohol related accidents or illnesses

Harvest leave in the community services sector of up to four weeks

The communications industry has seen the introduction of a Global Diversity Day for employees to take a paid day off "on any day that is meaningful ...within the calendar year".

(ADAM Report no. 22; Managing Leave and Holidays Update; newsletter no. 64, 18 November 1999)

Ideals about Industrial Relations in Australia, Finland and Poland byKrzysztof Zagorski

Attitudes to industrial relations in all these countries are examined with the populations showing an attraction to corporatist and marketised models. The results indicate a shift in attitudes which is ongoing in differing economies, ranging from the successful models of Sweden and other Scandinavian, to those countries of the former Eastern Bloc which are in a state of flux. Education levels are the major determinant of attitudes, rather than perceived social class.

(Australian Social Monitor; vol. 2, no. 4, October 1999)

Snapshots: Women's Employment by Age, Job Mobility, Employment in Services

The time that middle aged and older Australian women devote to paid employment peaks in the 40s. Women below 40, on average, devote 20 hours per week to paid employment, rising to 23 hours in the 40s, and declining rapidly after that.

Job mobility decreased slightly in recent years, but 14% of employed persons changed their employer in the past year.

Employment in services is growing in most industrialised countries, with Australia, US, UK, France, Canada, Netherlands and Sweden all having over 70% of employed persons in the service sector.

(Australian Social Monitor; vol. 2, no. 4, October 1999)

Women, Gender and Work

International Labour Review devotes a special issues to this topic.

Martha Nussbaum looks at how the question of capabilities is addressed. Measuring skills and attributes is a crucial question. She sets out to define a cross cultural norm that is relevant and appropriate for all persons. She lists the elements that are essential for "truly human functioning" but goes further and argues that having these elements is not enough. Rather that fulfilling these capabilities should be the goal.

Jane Hodges-Aeberhard looks at recent developments in affirmative action in courts in the USA, South Africa and Europe. Labour statistics play an important role in the allocation of resources and policy formulation.

Adriana Mata Greenwood looks at how they are used and the problems in determining what statistics are collected, what is defined as "work" and how these decisions impact on the role of women in the labour force.

This leads to the question of unpaid labour and care giving, crucial issues in the undervaluation of work and addressed here by Lourdes Bener�a and Lee Badgett.

(International Labour Review; vol. 138, no. 3, 1999)

Child Labour

This issue of International Union Rights focuses on endeavours aimed at eradicating this form of exploitation. Most prevalent in the Third World, exploitative abuse of children in the workforce is also an issue for so called developed nations, and is re-emerging in the economies of Central and Eastern Europe. According to the ILO, there are at least 120 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 at work, between 50 and 60 million of these children work in situations that are deemed hazardous.

(International Labour Rights; vol. 6, issue 3, 1999)

Trade and Workers Rights by Catherine Matheson

The collapse of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Seattle have been preceded and followed by condescending words from various experts attacking those who oppose the "liberalisation" of international trade. The words of a Brazilian women at a seminar on core labour standards and the WTO give the lie to those who claim that it is just developed country workers trying to protect their own position who oppose the "free trade' deals. She interjected "It's the governments of the South who don't want workers' rights, not the people".

(International Labour Rights, vol. 6, issue 3, 1999)

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 42 contents

»	What Price Aussie Jobs as Olympics Loom
»	TWU Activist Named Organiser of the Year
»	Unions Lock in New Years Eve Deals
»	'Scrooge' Destroys Staff Christmas
»	Rule Changes to Restructure Council
»	The Great Salary Rip-Off
»	George to Kick Start NSW IR Reforms?
»	Shaw Loses Key Advisers
»	More New Faces at the New ACTU
»	Reith Second Wave Not Beached Yet
»	Peace in the Gong
»	Workers Support Register Gathers Steam
»	Pay Equity Enters Campaign Mode
»	Union Aid Agency to Establish Dili Office
»	Job Vacancies at the LHMU

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Aquilina's Insult
»	Well Done 1999
»	US Union Site Worth a Look

Notice Board
- Check out the latest events

Latest Issue

View entire latest issue
- print all of the articles!

Previous Issues

Subject index

Search all issues

© 1999-2000 Labor Council of NSW

LaborNET is a resource for the labour movement provided by the Labor Council of NSW

[ Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Credits ]

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW