Industrial Action Under the Workplace Relations Act: 'Winning' in the Public Sector

Upon its introduction the Workplace Relations and Other Legislation Amendment Act 1996 (Cth.) (WRA) made significant changes to the legal regulation of trade unions in the federal system. One of the most significant areas that has witnessed dramatic change is industrial action. The WRA seriously curtails the degree to which unions can take industrial action. This paper undertakes a comparative case study of two service sector unions, one public and the other private sector, tracing their experiences under the WRA in relation to industrial action. A comparison of the unions' experiences reveals that the success of service sector union I has been in large part, derived from its position of strength in the public sector.