The relationship between union presence, employee relations and the adoption of High Performance Work Practices

Carol Gill, Melbourne Business School
Denny Meyer, Swinburne Institute of Technology

Abstract

In recent times management has considered unions as a hindrance to workplace performance, resulting in union avoidance, suppression and substitution. Using survey data collected from the senior members of the Human Resource Management function in 189 large Australian organisations, this research found that unions can have a positive impact on organisational competitiveness by facilitating the adoption of High Performance Work Practices and that this impact is moderated by the quality of employee relations. This research has significant implications for Government and organisational policy on unions.