Purpose

This written assessment provides students with an exercise to assist in their understanding of employment relations, through addressing a specific employment relations issue: the 2011 Qantas dispute. Before the announcement by Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, of a lockout on 29 October 2011, various forms of industrial action had been taken by Qantas management and the three main Qantas unions. On 31 October, the national industrial relations tribunal, Fair Work Australia, intervened to end all industrial action by both Qantas management and the unions. Under s.423 of the Fair Work Act, the tribunal has the authority to intervene where industrial action is causing ‘significant economic harm’. This written assignment provides an opportunity for students to use different theories to examine the positions and strategies adopted during the dispute. Completing this assignment will assist in achieving learning outcomes 6, 9 and 10 as shown in the unit outline.

Assessment

This assessment item enables students to develop a theoretically informed understanding of an employment relations issue. It enables students to examine mutual dependence, conflicting interests and the management of conflict in employment relations.

In this assessment task you are required to present an answer to the following question:

Describe how the Unitarist and Pluralist approaches to conflict would explain the positions of (a) management and (b) unions in the Qantas dispute.  Identify which one of the approaches provides the better explanation. Explain how you reached this conclusion.  

Your response should include discussion of all the following lead references:

Bamber, G 2011, ‘How might Qantas rebuild relations with its workforce?’, The Conversation, 14 November, viewed 19 February 2013, .

Barry, P 2011, ‘Paul Barry’s Guide to the Qantas Dispute’, The Power Index, 31 October…