The advent of industrial regulation by tribunal came close to the turn of the century. Wages boards began in Victoria in 1896 and courts of arbitration in 1900. The first day of the new century was also the first day of the Commonwealth of Australia, endowed with a Parliament that was empowered to institute its chosen models of conciliation and arbitration for the prevention and settlement of interstate industrial disputes. This book is a study of the operation of conciliation and arbitration, especially by the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, from the inception of the system until World War II. It is not, however, a general history of conciliation and arbitration. It does not, for example, deal with the successes and failures of the tribunals in preventing strikes and lockouts; or with the manifold legal issues to which the system gave rise, unless they affected significantly the tribunals' exercise of their power to fix wages and conditions. Rather, it is about fixing the terms of employment; and it attempts to set the tribunals' performance in an economic context. It is about 'wage policy', if the term is interpreted broadly enough to include both prescribed wages and other factors that affect the cost of labour, including working hours and leave.

This volume seeks to go beyond the microeconomic view of wages as a cost having negative consequences on a given firm, to consider the positive macroeconomic dynamics associated with wages as a major component of aggregate demand.

This title was first published in 2001. Drawing on the fields of labour economics and industrial relations, this book simultaneously applies human capital theory and institutional analysis to an explanation of occupational and other wage differentials. This outstanding study contains a wealth of reference material on both the economic and normative determinants of wages. Destined to become a landmark study in the area of Australian wage determination, the book is an essential text for labour economists, industrial relations specialists, researchers and policy makers alike.

This ILO flagship report examines the evolution of real wages around the world, giving a unique picture of wage trends globally and by region. The 2020-21 edition analyses the relationship of minimum wages and inequality, as well as the wage impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The 2020-21 edition also reviews minimum wage systems across the world and identifies the conditions under which minimum wages can reduce inequality. The report presents comprehensive data on levels of minimum wages, their effectiveness, and the number and characteristics of workers paid at or below the minimum. The report highlights how adequate minimum wages, statutory or negotiated, can play a key role in a human-centred recovery from the crisis

Australia's economic history is the story of the transformation of an indigenous economy and a small convict settlement into a nation of nearly 23 million people with advanced economic, social and political structures. It is a history of vast lands with rich, exploitable resources, of adversity in war, and of prosperity and nation building. It is also a history of human behaviour and the institutions created to harness and govern human endeavour. This account provides a systematic and comprehensive treatment of the nation's economic foundations, growth, resilience and future, in an engaging, contemporary narrative. It examines key themes such as the centrality of land and its usage, the role of migrant human capital, the tension between development and the environment, and Australia's interaction with the international economy. Written by a team of eminent economic historians, The Cambridge Economic History of Australia is the definitive study of Australia's economic past and present.

For the past 100 years, Australian unions have played a key role in protecting and improving the wages and working conditions of Australian employees. Now, membership is collapsing and the union movement is under unprecedented political attack. How can it rebuild itself so as to play its role in the modern deregulated, globalised world?In Power at Work, Michael Crosby documents the crisis facing the union movement and focusses on the central role of organising workplaces and industries in an evidence-based plan for renewal. He proposes an agenda which is hardheaded, practical and achievable, one based on the recent experiences of successful unions - unions where the membership numbers are going up.Crosby uses examples, analysis and interviews to map out a path for action which will restore a fairer balance of power in Australian workplaces. He is the former Federal Secretary of Actors Equity and Director of the ACTU Organising Centre, and now works for the Service Employees International Union.