Anti-Union Employer Strategy

CFP: a symposium in Sydney, 10 Nov 2008

Symposium and special thematic section of Labour History on
Anti-Union Employer Strategy: An Historical Analysis Symposium

Monday 10 November 2008

Business and Labour History Group
University of Sydney

Guest Editors: Rae Cooper and Greg Patmore Declining union membership raises the important issue of employer strategies aimed at reducing union presence in the workplace. Given the focus of Labour History editorial policy on examining 'union organising strategies' it is appropriate that we also analyse the 'union avoidance'and 'union- busting' activities of employers. This thematic section proposes to bring in researchers who are undertaking long-term studies of employer anti-union strategies from Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Examples of topics include:

  1. Industrial democracy as a union avoidance strategy
  2. Company unions
  3. Lockouts
  4. Paternalism and welfarism as union avoidance strategies
  5. The ideology of union-busting, e.g. the New Right in Australia
  6. The use of labour spies, detective agencies and union busting firms in union avoidance
  7. Personnel practices such as recruitment and selection and their role in union avoidance
  8. Employer violence in union avoidance

Intending contributors should electronically submit an abstract (300 words) to the editors by Friday 27 June 2008 for consideration.
Intending contributors then participate in a symposium to be held at the University of Sydney, Australia, on Monday 10 November 2008. Full papers (5,000 -10,000 words) for the symposium will be due on Monday 3 November. After the symposium participants will have time to consider comments before the submission of the final paper for refereeing for the special thematic section of Labour History on Monday 15 December 2008.
The thematic will appear in the November 2009 issue of Labour History.

A limited amount of financial assistance will be available for overseas participants in the symposium/workshop.

The symposium is organised by the Business and Labour History Group, Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney and we acknowledge the financial support of the Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney. All enquiries regarding the symposium and the special thematic section of Labour History should be addressed to the thematic editors at either [mailto]r.cooper@econ.usyd.edu.au[/mailto] or [mailto]g.patmore@econ.usyd.edu.au[/mailto]

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