INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS — AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTRALIA

1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 214
Author(s):  
D.H. Young
Keyword(s):  
Recent Trend ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Wage Rates ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Compulsory Arbitration ◽  
Special Circumstances ◽  
Conditions Of Employment ◽  
Exploration And Development

The unique Australian system of controlling industrial relations matters was created in the early 1900's against a background of disastrous national strikes in the 1890's and during the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia.The Australian Constitution was framed to include specific powers to protect the country and the general public from the consequences of industrial disputes between employers and employees by requiring conciliation processes to be followed and, if they failed, for compulsory arbitration of the dispute.The division of powers between the Commonwealth and State Governments causes complications and inconsistencies and has highlighted the intrusion of political considerations into industrial relations problems.The Commonwealth and most State Governments have created systems based on registered organisations of employers and employees. Registration is intended to create rights and obligations and to result in responsible bodies being subject to the enforcement procedures of the arbitration tribunals. Registration also delineates the scope of membership coverage and the industries in which the registered bodies may operate. In theory, there should be no overlapping of registered constitutions and therefore no demarcation or "jurisdictional" type disputes. A major problem has been created by registration based on crafts or occupations instead of on an industry basis. This has resulted in up to 15 or more unions having members in, even, medium sized establishments.The recent trend has been towards amalgamations of employer and employee organisations and the formation of "peak" employer and employee councils-the CAI and the ACTU. The activities of these Councils is leading to a centralised system of wage fixation and towards common standards of conditions of employment with deviations only to meet special circumstances. This tends to cause any change in wage rates or conditions of employment in any one area to "flow" into other areas and industries on a "comparative wage justice" basis.The expansion of onshore exploration and development of the hydrocarbons industry into offshore areas has resulted in more unions becoming involved in the industry, with inconsistencies between land based and maritime unions in approaches to construction and production work.Much work will be required by employers and their organisations within the hydrocarbons industry to overcome the industrial relations difficulties that will arise at interfaces between them and other well established industries.

The Genesis of Arbitration in Western Australia

1986 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman F. Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
The Political ◽  
Trade Union Movement ◽  
Union Movement ◽  
Early Experiences ◽  
Compulsory Arbitration ◽  
Industrial Disputes ◽  
Political Scene ◽  
Conditions Of Employment

The use of compulsory arbitration for the determination of the conditions of employment has a long history in Australia. This paper covers the events leading up to the introduction of legislation for conciliation and for the compulsory arbitration of industrial disputes in Western Australia. After two bruising strikes and the experience of successful voluntary arbitration, the union movement came to the view that compulsory arbitration would be to their advantage. The development of political links between the unions and some members of the Legislative Assembly, coupled with certain fortuitous circumstances in the Parliament, resulted in arbitration legislation being passed in 1900—despite the dominance of the political scene by conservative forces and the opposition of the employers. Early experiences with the legislation showed that conciliation was not successful when arbitration was readily available and that the Act was not the answer to all the problems of the trade union movement.

Labour adjudication in Swaziland: the exclusive jurisdiction of the Industrial Court

1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-200
Author(s):  
Chuks Okpaluba
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Exclusive Jurisdiction ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Collective Negotiation ◽  
Settlement Of Disputes ◽  
Conditions Of Employment

When the Industrial Relations Act was enacted in Swaziland in 1980 its express object was to provide for the collective negotiation of terms and conditions of employment and for the establishment of an Industrial Court for the settlement of disputes arising out of employment. In turn, the avowed purpose for the establishment of the Industrial Court as the nerve centre and most important institution established by the legislative scheme was, and still is, “for the furtherance, securing and maintenance of good industrial relations and employment conditions in Swaziland”. As in the case of other industrial courts and labour adjudicatory institutions with special and limited jurisdiction elsewhere, issues surrounding the jurisdiction of the Industrial Court of Swaziland have given rise to a measure of controversy.

The history of hydrocarbon exploration and development in North Yorkshire

2018 ◽  
Vol 465 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Q. Haarhoff ◽  
F. Hughes ◽  
M. Heath-Clarke ◽  
D. Harrison ◽  
C. Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
History Of ◽  
Exploration And Development

RISING COSTS IN AUSTRALIAN HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
D. McMinn
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
Oil And Gas Producers ◽  
Project Construction ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Retained Earnings ◽  
Equipment Costs ◽  
Exploration And Development

Rapidly rising costs have created operating and investment problems for companies involved in the Australian hydrocarbon resource industry. Expenditure in this area has declined markedly in constant dollar terms, an adverse trend given Australia's outlook for increasing reliance on imported crude oil in the 1980's.Costs in hydrocarbon exploration appear to have risen in excess of general inflation in the Australian economy. This situation may be attributed to the strong upward movement in wages and equipment costs, and in some cases, the low level of domestic exploration in the mid-1970's.Capital costs for hydrocarbon development and pipeline projects in Australia have also escalated, a trend caused by rising wage levels in project construction and increases in equipment costs. Additional factors such as design alterations, environmental considerations and labour disputes, can also add significantly to costs. Large scale hydrocarbon projects, which have long lead times, are susceptible to inflationary trends.Increasing amounts of funds are required for exploration and development as a result of the rising cost trend. However, difficulty is being experienced in raising funds through capital and equity markets, as well as retained earnings. A key factor in securing adequate funds is profitability, which is largely determined by the State and Federal Governments. For the smaller oil and gas producers, the past profitability record has been inadequate, although the improvement in recent years should continue because of higher oil and gas prices.Costs may be expected to continue to increase in hydrocarbon exploration and development, but probably at a lower rate than experienced in the mid- 1970's. The future viability of the hydrocarbon sector is dependent on a favourable investment environment and higher profitability to offset the considerable risks in exploration and escalation in costs.

Dock Strikes and the Demise of the Dockers' ‘Occupational Culture’

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Occupational Group ◽  
Principal Factor ◽  
Occupational Culture ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Coal Miners ◽  
Cargo Handling ◽  
Post War ◽  
Central Pillar ◽  
Conditions Of Employment

Throughout the post-war period dockers have vied with coal miners as Britain's most strike-prone occupational group. The dockers' ‘occupational culture’ was believed by many to be a principal factor behind this militancy, but this alone cannot account for the pattern or level of conflict on the waterfront. Furthermore, following decasualisation in 1967 and the progressive unitisation of cargo handling operations in the 1970s and 1980s the occupational culture of the dockers was progressively undermined. By the late 1980s the National Dock Labour Scheme had become the central pillar of what remained of the dockers' occupational culture, and as the 1989 national dock strike illustrated, without the support of the Scheme the dockers were unable to mount any effective resistance to the attack on their terms and conditions of employment initiated by the employers and fully supported by the state. It is only by integrating the sociological study of working class imagery and consciousness with an industrial relations analysis of the institutions, processes and structural conditions of workplace negotiations over the wage-effort bargain that it is possible to explain the nature and causes of dock strikes per se, the intensity of conflict on the waterfront, and the consummate failure of the dockers in the 1989 strike.

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