Global Competition and Shipping Industrial Relations: Australia and the US Compared

The paper examines industrial relations in the shipping industries of Australia and the United States. The two countries have to a considerable extent demonstrated polar approaches to the issue of reform in the context of ‘globalisation’ pressures. The extent to which local institutional factors offset the major trend towards the ‘globalisation’ of the shipping labour market is assessed. The paper argues that in shipping a range of differing policy approaches and reforms of the industrial relations system at the industry and national level do not appear to significantly check the ‘globalisation/internationalisation’ of the industry and the demise of the ‘national fleet’ with its citizen seafarers. The paper uses the somewhat over generalised concept and theory of ‘globalisation’ but seeks primarily to generate empirical data of relevance to the concept, rather than additional general remarks about ‘theory’.