Assessing the Impact of the Workplace Relations Act From 1996 to 2004: Increasing Flexibility or Decreasing Collectivism?

This paper tests the impact of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (WRA) by looking at changes in the behaviour of a panel of workplaces in the Illawarra Region of NSW between 1996 and 2004. The results support the proposition that the major impact has been on the level of unionisation and union density in these workplaces. There was virtually no expansion in the use of enterprise bargaining or AWAs, although there was a small but significant increase in non-union agreement making. Rather than encourage the use of single jurisdictions to register awards and collective agreements, in the Illawarra at least, there was a strong trend to dual State and Federal jurisdictions. Thus the WRA has been relatively ineffective in achieving flexibility and decentralised employee relations goals but has resulted in a high level of decollectivisation.Workplace Relations Act, Illawarra region, flexibility, decollectivisation

Colonial forms of labour organisation in nineteenth century Australia

By 1890 Australian trade unions enjoyed the highest membership density in the world. This success was based upon two main forms of organisation: one transplanted from the \u27mother country’, Britain; the other was a unique form of colonial organisation, which eventually proved more important in many respects. The earliest colonial unions were craft-based. They first appeared in the 1830s and 1840s, but could only claim continuous association from the time of the gold rushes in the 1850s. These colonial craft unions were modelled very closely on their British counterparts, in terms of structure, strategy and tactics, regalia and ritual. Some were even branches of British unions. Coal miners\u27 unions, which began from the 1860s in Newcastle (New South Wales), were also closely modelled on British organisational forms. In both cases this is hardly surprising, since a very high proportion of both skilled workers and coal miners were British immigrants. By the 1870s craft unions (particularly in the building, printing and metal trades) and coal miners\u27 unionism were well-established in the colonies. Both forms of unionism had flourished in the colonies, at the same time when they underwent considerable growth in Britain. Labour law in Britain became less restrictive in relation to unions by the 1870s, and British statutes were usually enacted in the colonies soon afterwards, whilst decisions in British common law were automatically applicable in the colonies. However, there was always a time-lag in application of British legislation in the colonies, notably with the full legalisation of unions, and some colonial legislation (especially Master and Servants Acts) was actually harsher. On the other hand, the colonial application of such legislation was uneven, and never seriously or consistently hindered the growth of unionism. In the 1880s colonial trade unionism underwent tremendous expansion amongst unskilled workers, such that in the most populous and industrialised colonies of New South Wales and Victoria it covered over 20 per cent of the workforce. In Britain also, unionism spread to the unskilled soon afterwards. The labour movement in both countries became more susceptible to socialist influences and interested in independent political organisation. However, although the language of ’new unionism\u27 was shared in both countries, by contemporaries and later historians, it did not denote entirely the same thing. Its spread was greater in the colonies, and also covered a greater array of occupations, including rural workers. Political organisation was far more substantial in the colonies, where the Labor Party emerged in the 1890s, and achieved government in 1910. In some respects colonial new unionism was unique. This was best demonstrated by the Shearers\u27 Union, which became the Australian Workers\u27 Union (AWU), and the Amalagamated Miners\u27 Association (AMA), which enrolled metal (but not coal) miners. Both included significant groups of members who were independent from wage labour for part of their working time, either as small farmers or as independent miners. These unions departed significantly from the previous colonial and British forms of labour organisation. They were the first national labour organisations in Australia. As a consequence of this and the itinerant nature of much of their membership, they developed the first bureacratic branch structures with a comparatively large number of full-time officials, in contrast with the participatory democracy of the localised craft unions. The AWU became the largest and most influential of all Australian unions, especially when it began enrolling beyond its rural base and became a general union from the late 1890s. The significance of the AWU’s influence was threefold. First, it was dominated by small landholders, unlike any other labour organisation. Secondly, it was dominated by the native-born, and adopted a nationalist and republican ideology, which was hostile to British imperialism. Thirdly, its size and structure allowed the AWU considerable influence in the early Labor Party, which relied upon the AWU to deliver a large proportion of rural seats. This importance to the early Labor Party gave the AWU tremendous influence in determining policy favourable to small landholders. As the major bearer of colonial republican nationalism, the AWU was also largely responsible for imparting this ideology to the Labor Party, which became the traditional exponent of nationalism in Australian politics. Finally, the AWU was the major supporter of a system of compulsory state arbitration in the Labor Party, which adopted this policy at the end of the 1890s. When this system was enacted in the early 1900s with Labor support, it signalled a new, interventionist departure from the role of the state which had been inherited from Britain. This system nurtured unionism generally, and the AWU style of unionism in particular

What do we know about New Zealand Workplaces?

Over recent years, as interest has grown at a national level in improving productivity and performance, the workplace has received increasing research attention as a unit of analysis. Internationally, the existence of a High Performance Work Systems model has been debated, and there has been an outpouring of articles giving consideration to the range of workplace practices that are associated with this model. This has been facilitated by the existence in many countries of large­scale surveys that provide a systematic and robust evidence base for informed policy making. Within the New Zealand context, however, the empirical basis for drawing conclusions about the nature and spread of a range of workplace practices is sparse, and limited by the data available in official statistics and a continued reliance by researchers on small­scale case studies. This paper considers the limits of our knowledge about the dynamics of New Zealand workplaces, and questions whether the time has come for development of a large scale survey to provide robust empirical evidence to better inform decision­making by policy makers and practitioners

What do we know about New Zealand Workplaces?

Over recent years, as interest has grown at a national level in improving productivity and performance, the workplace has received increasing research attention as a unit of analysis. Internationally, the existence of a High Performance Work Systems model has been debated, and there has been an outpouring of articles giving consideration to the range of workplace practices that are associated with this model. This has been facilitated by the existence in many countries of large­scale surveys that provide a systematic and robust evidence base for informed policy making. Within the New Zealand context, however, the empirical basis for drawing conclusions about the nature and spread of a range of workplace practices is sparse, and limited by the data available in official statistics and a continued reliance by researchers on small­scale case studies. This paper considers the limits of our knowledge about the dynamics of New Zealand workplaces, and questions whether the time has come for development of a large scale survey to provide robust empirical evidence to better inform decision­making by policy makers and practitioners

Improving Productivity Through Enhancing Employee Wellbeing and Participation

This paper outlines the rationale and methodology for an international comparative project investigating the links between workplace productivity and employee wellness and well being via the operation of representative employee participation structures in Denmark and New Zealand. It will define and discuss the often contentious terms of productivity, wellbeing and participation and how employee participation and wellbeing and the work environment impact on productivity. This paper employs a multi-dimensional theoretical framework and will assess the significance of the issues examined: analyse the impact of employment practices and quality of the work environment on productivity: and as a result present the methodology developed for the project

Improving Productivity Through Enhancing Employee Wellbeing and Participation

This paper outlines the rationale and methodology for an international comparative project investigating the links between workplace productivity and employee wellness and well being via the operation of representative employee participation structures in Denmark and New Zealand. It will define and discuss the often contentious terms of productivity, wellbeing and participation and how employee participation and wellbeing and the work environment impact on productivity. This paper employs a multi-dimensional theoretical framework and will assess the significance of the issues examined: analyse the impact of employment practices and quality of the work environment on productivity: and as a result present the methodology developed for the project

The long noncoding RNA SPRIGHTLY acts as an intranuclear organizing hub for pre-mRNA molecules

Molecular mechanisms by which long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) molecules may influence cancerous condition are poorly understood. The aberrant expression of SPRIGHTLY lncRNA, encoded within the drosophila gene homolog Sprouty-4 intron, is correlated with a variety of cancers, including human melanomas. We demonstrate by SHAPE-seq and dChIRP that SPRIGHTLY RNA secondary structure has a core pseudoknotted domain. This lncRNA interacts with the intronic regions of six pre-mRNAs: SOX5, SMYD3, SND1, MEOX2, DCTN6, and RASAL2, all of which have cancer-related functions. Hemizygous knockout of SPRIGHTLY by CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 in melanoma cells significantly decreases SPRIGHTLY lncRNA levels, simultaneously decreases the levels of its interacting pre-mRNA molecules, and decreases anchorage-independent growth rate of cells and the rate of in vivo tumor growth in mouse xenografts. These results provide the first demonstration of an lncRNA’s three-dimensional coordinating role in facilitating cancer-related gene expression in human melanomas

Use of pegvaliase in the management of phenylketonuria: Case series of early experience in US clinics

Objective: To present a case series that illustrates real-world use of pegvaliase based on the initial experiences of US healthcare providers. Methods: Sixteen healthcare providers from 14 centers across the US with substantial clinical experience in treating patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) with pegvaliase in the two-plus years since FDA approval (May 2018) provided cases that exemplified important lessons from their initial experiences treating patients with pegvaliase. Key lessons from each case and takeaway points were discussed in both live and virtual meetings. Results: Fifteen cases of adults with PKU (eight males, seven females), representing a spectrum of age (18 to 53 years), previous PKU care, comorbidities, and socioeconomic situations were reviewed and discussed. Full extended case reports are included in the Supplement. The cases showed that treating patients with a daily injectable can be challenging due to a patient's financial problems, treatment challenges, and neuropsychological and psychiatric comorbidities, which can be identified before starting pegvaliase, but do not prohibit successful treatment. The authors agreed that patient education on adverse events (AEs), time to efficacy, dietary changes, and food preparation is an ongoing process that should start prior to initiating pegvaliase treatment. Treatment goals and planned dietary changes once efficacy is reached should be defined prior to treatment initiation and re-evaluated throughout the course of therapy. Each patient's titration schedule and dietary adjustments are unique, depending on occurrence of AEs and individual goals of treatment. Despite the AE profile of pegvaliase, all but two patients remained motivated to continue treatment and achieved efficacy (except one patient in whom titration was still ongoing). AEs occurring early in the treatment pathway may require prolongation of the titration phase and/or concomitant medication use, but do not seem indicative of future tolerability or eventual efficacy. Close follow-up of patients during titration and maintenance to help with dietary changes is important. Conclusion: This case series provides real-world experience on the use of pegvaliase. Until data from registries and independent research become available, the data presented herein can support appropriate management of patients receiving pegvaliase in clinical practice

Cranial Ontogeny in Stegoceras validum (Dinosauria: Pachycephalosauria): A Quantitative Model of Pachycephalosaur Dome Growth and Variation

Historically, studies of pachycephalosaurs have recognized plesiomorphically flat-headed taxa and apomorphically domed taxa. More recently, it has been suggested that the expression of the frontoparietal dome is ontogenetic and derived from a flat-headed juvenile morphology. However, strong evidence to support this hypothesis has been lacking. Here we test this hypothesis in a large, stratigraphically constrained sample of specimens assigned to Stegoceras validum, the best known pachycephalosaur, using multiple independent lines of evidence including conserved morphology of ornamentation, landmark-based allometric analyses of frontoparietal shape, and cranial bone histology. New specimens show that the diagnostic ornamentation of the parietosquamosal bar is conserved throughout the size range of the sample, which links flat-headed specimens to domed S. validum. High-resolution CT scans of three frontoparietals reveal that vascularity decreases with size and document a pattern that is consistent with previously proposed histological changes during growth. Furthermore, aspects of dome shape and size are strongly correlated and indicative of ontogenetic growth. These results are complementary and strongly support the hypothesis that the sample represents a growth series of a single taxon. Cranial dome growth is positively allometric, proceeds from a flat-headed to a domed state, and confirms the synonymy of Ornatotholus browni as a juvenile Stegoceras. This dataset serves as the first detailed model of growth and variation in a pachycephalosaur. Flat-headed juveniles possess three characters (externally open cranial sutures, tuberculate dorsal surface texture, and open supratemporal fenestrae) that are reduced or eliminated during ontogeny. These characters also occur in putative flat-headed taxa, suggesting that they may also represent juveniles of domed taxa. However, open cranial sutures and supratemporal fenestrae are plesiomorphic within Ornithischia, and thus should be expected in the adult stage of a primitive pachycephalosaur. Additional lines of evidence will be needed to resolve the taxonomic validity of flat-headed pachycephalosaur taxa