New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations Online - In the Latest NZJIR

Volume 25 Number 2

June 2000

ARTICLES:

Fiji's Civil Aviation: New Zealand Style Restructuring Using New Zealand Replacement Workers
Darryn Snell

Snell investigates the use of New Zealand replacement labour by the Fijian government in an effort to undermine the position of the Fijian Public Service Association, after 358 members of the FPSA were locked out of negotiations over civil aviation restructuring. This scenario highlights the antithesis that workers from the "developed world" can be used in industrial action against workers in a developing country.

Rising Tides, Leaky Boats: The Influence of Downsizing on Wage Levels
Trent D. Sebbens

This paper addresses organisational "downsizing" and it's effects on wage levels and employment at societal and workplace levels. It will also examine the motivations of organisations in reducing the size of their workforce and argue that "Globalisation" has engendered downsizing as an organisational phenomenon.

The Effects of Redundancy at a New Zealand Airline
Bill Ewart and Mark Harcourt

The authors study the effects of redundancy at a New Zealand airline on a group of 139 ground stewards. The paper looks at levels of employment among the stewards over time, their relative earnings post-redundancy and their feelings towards the airline. The results of this study have implications for all managers in terms of how to better manage layoffs and minimise the negative effects on workers.

Human Resource Management and Labour Management Committees: From Contracts to Consultation
C.H.J. Gilson and Terry Wagner

Using survey data from New Zealand firms, this article examines the use of labour-management committees (LMCs) to address a number of workplace issues. The findings are based on responses from 422 unionised organisations/workplaces of 50 employees and over, three quarters of which reported having an LMC. The authors note that as the percentage of unionisation in a workplace increases so does implementation of LMCs.

Independent Contractors: An Attractive Option?
Belinda Greene

This paper explores the reasons for which an employer may choose to engage independent contractors as opposed to hiring employees directly. It comments on the recent trend to opt for independent contracting arrangements, whether by contracting out to existing external providers, or by "converting" employees into independent contractors. It also discusses the implications of the new government's Employment Relations Bill in relation to dependent contractors.

BOOK REVIEWS:

Norman Caulfield, Mexican Workers and the State: From the Porfiriato to NAFTA, Texas Christian University Press: Fort Worth, 1998; ISBN 0-87565-192-5 cloth $24.95 224pp. illus. Bib. Index
John F. Lyons

A fascinating introduction to the evolution of State labour relations in Mexico from the early twentieth century to the present.

Jock Barnes, Never a White Flag
Dr James Reveley

The memoirs of one of the most controversial figures in the history of New Zealand industrial relations, who led the national Waterside Workers Union during the 1951 waterside dispute. Jock Barnes passed away in Auckland on May 31, 2000, aged 92.

CHRONICLE:

January 2000 - May 2000
Erling Rasmussen and Joe Beer

A month by month roundup of recent New Zealand Industrial Relations events, such as discussions on the Employment Relations Bill, changes to Accident Compensation legislation and other headlines.