I am a PhD candidate in the Employment Research Unit at Cardiff Business School. My doctoral research examines the shopfloor politics of technological change in the aerospace sector. My previous research has looked at unions and collective bargaining, the relationship between austerity and work intensification in the British care sector, and labour regulation in the gig economy.
In 2017, Australian unions faced ongoing membership decline and new institutional constraints, bu... more In 2017, Australian unions faced ongoing membership decline and new institutional constraints, but emerged reinvigorated from a change in leadership and a policy re-set. Many unions faced a hostile environment for bargaining, with protracted negotiations in key sectors, attended by robust industrial action at times. The decline in union members and collective agreements reached a crisis point. A surprisingly diverse collection of individuals expressed concerns that the system of enterprise bargaining was not producing outcomes that were fair or economically sustainable, with some questioning whether the system had created the level playing field its architects had envisioned, as well expressing growing unease that reforms intended to constrain unions were undermining the original objective of the legislation. Heading into 2018, unions and the Australian Council of Trade Unions were seeking a political and legislative solution to the seemingly entrenched industrial difficulties they face, campaigning around the theme 'change the rules'. Without significant change in the system, it is difficult to see that the coming years will see any change to these dominant patterns.
The ‘gig economy’ has emerged rapidly as a form of service
delivery that challenges existing busi... more The ‘gig economy’ has emerged rapidly as a form of service delivery that challenges existing business models, labourmanagement practices, and regulations. The ways in which platform companies transact with workers, in particular, has created a burgeoning public interest, but has yet to give rise to a corresponding academic literature. In this paper, we ask whether the gig economy deserves to be a subject of employment relations scholarship, given its current dimensions and likely future. We argue that academic analysis is needed, to better understand the power dynamics operating within the gig economy and how these are testing existing norms and institutions. We discuss two mains ways that employment relations researchers can expand their theoretical repertoires and, in doing so, improve the evidence on gig-based working arrangements. We begin to sketch the outlines of a systematic research agenda, by elaborating indicative questions that need addressing to advance understanding of ‘gig work relations’. We caution, however, that academic analysis of the gig economy should not be predicated on an expectation that it is the future of work. A number of economic, industrial and political factors threaten to slow or halt the gig economy’s growth.
In 2016, Australian unions faced a mix of new and enduring challenges. A re-elected Conservative ... more In 2016, Australian unions faced a mix of new and enduring challenges. A re-elected Conservative federal government made life difficult for unions, maintaining its hard-line approach to public sector bargaining and passing new laws to intensify regulatory scrutiny of union governance and tactics. Unions continued to secure wage premiums through enterprise bargaining, but the longer-term decline in the level of agreement-making and the number of workers covered by enterprise agreements continued. Disputation rose, although less than half of all disputes were caused by enterprise bargaining. Concern over ongoing membership decline saw unions explore and experiment with organisational reforms and initiatives as new, 'union-like' actors entered the field. However, our analysis of longer-term membership developments across union types suggests the outlook is alarming for all but those unions focused on occupational identity.
In 2017, Australian unions faced ongoing membership decline and new institutional constraints, bu... more In 2017, Australian unions faced ongoing membership decline and new institutional constraints, but emerged reinvigorated from a change in leadership and a policy re-set. Many unions faced a hostile environment for bargaining, with protracted negotiations in key sectors, attended by robust industrial action at times. The decline in union members and collective agreements reached a crisis point. A surprisingly diverse collection of individuals expressed concerns that the system of enterprise bargaining was not producing outcomes that were fair or economically sustainable, with some questioning whether the system had created the level playing field its architects had envisioned, as well expressing growing unease that reforms intended to constrain unions were undermining the original objective of the legislation. Heading into 2018, unions and the Australian Council of Trade Unions were seeking a political and legislative solution to the seemingly entrenched industrial difficulties they face, campaigning around the theme 'change the rules'. Without significant change in the system, it is difficult to see that the coming years will see any change to these dominant patterns.
The ‘gig economy’ has emerged rapidly as a form of service
delivery that challenges existing busi... more The ‘gig economy’ has emerged rapidly as a form of service delivery that challenges existing business models, labourmanagement practices, and regulations. The ways in which platform companies transact with workers, in particular, has created a burgeoning public interest, but has yet to give rise to a corresponding academic literature. In this paper, we ask whether the gig economy deserves to be a subject of employment relations scholarship, given its current dimensions and likely future. We argue that academic analysis is needed, to better understand the power dynamics operating within the gig economy and how these are testing existing norms and institutions. We discuss two mains ways that employment relations researchers can expand their theoretical repertoires and, in doing so, improve the evidence on gig-based working arrangements. We begin to sketch the outlines of a systematic research agenda, by elaborating indicative questions that need addressing to advance understanding of ‘gig work relations’. We caution, however, that academic analysis of the gig economy should not be predicated on an expectation that it is the future of work. A number of economic, industrial and political factors threaten to slow or halt the gig economy’s growth.
In 2016, Australian unions faced a mix of new and enduring challenges. A re-elected Conservative ... more In 2016, Australian unions faced a mix of new and enduring challenges. A re-elected Conservative federal government made life difficult for unions, maintaining its hard-line approach to public sector bargaining and passing new laws to intensify regulatory scrutiny of union governance and tactics. Unions continued to secure wage premiums through enterprise bargaining, but the longer-term decline in the level of agreement-making and the number of workers covered by enterprise agreements continued. Disputation rose, although less than half of all disputes were caused by enterprise bargaining. Concern over ongoing membership decline saw unions explore and experiment with organisational reforms and initiatives as new, 'union-like' actors entered the field. However, our analysis of longer-term membership developments across union types suggests the outlook is alarming for all but those unions focused on occupational identity.
Uploads
delivery that challenges existing business models, labourmanagement
practices, and regulations. The ways in which platform
companies transact with workers, in particular, has created a
burgeoning public interest, but has yet to give rise to a corresponding
academic literature. In this paper, we ask whether the
gig economy deserves to be a subject of employment relations
scholarship, given its current dimensions and likely future. We
argue that academic analysis is needed, to better understand the
power dynamics operating within the gig economy and how these
are testing existing norms and institutions. We discuss two mains
ways that employment relations researchers can expand their
theoretical repertoires and, in doing so, improve the evidence on
gig-based working arrangements. We begin to sketch the outlines
of a systematic research agenda, by elaborating indicative questions
that need addressing to advance understanding of ‘gig work
relations’. We caution, however, that academic analysis of the gig
economy should not be predicated on an expectation that it is the
future of work. A number of economic, industrial and political
factors threaten to slow or halt the gig economy’s growth.
delivery that challenges existing business models, labourmanagement
practices, and regulations. The ways in which platform
companies transact with workers, in particular, has created a
burgeoning public interest, but has yet to give rise to a corresponding
academic literature. In this paper, we ask whether the
gig economy deserves to be a subject of employment relations
scholarship, given its current dimensions and likely future. We
argue that academic analysis is needed, to better understand the
power dynamics operating within the gig economy and how these
are testing existing norms and institutions. We discuss two mains
ways that employment relations researchers can expand their
theoretical repertoires and, in doing so, improve the evidence on
gig-based working arrangements. We begin to sketch the outlines
of a systematic research agenda, by elaborating indicative questions
that need addressing to advance understanding of ‘gig work
relations’. We caution, however, that academic analysis of the gig
economy should not be predicated on an expectation that it is the
future of work. A number of economic, industrial and political
factors threaten to slow or halt the gig economy’s growth.