Indigeneity, decolonization and the “politics of common destiny” in New Caledonia

New Caledonia has been a French colony since 1853 – now a sui generis overseas ‘collectivity’ – and is currently engaged in a process of ‘decolonization’ following the signature of the Accord de Nouméa on the 5th of May 1998 (cf. point 4 of the preamble). This process of decolonization, as we argue in this article, is counteracted by a political strategy, which we will refer to as the “politics of a common destiny”. This strategy aims at creating a feeling of citizenship by fostering reconciliation between peoples and communities living in New Caledonia. To achieve this, history is reinterpreted and reinvented by emphasizing togetherness and shared destiny. By way of illustration, two examples are examined: first, the celebration of the citizenship; second, Mathieu Kassovitz’s movie L’ordre et la morale [Rebellion in English]. Next, acknowledging that this strategy goes beyond symbolism and spreads through the political economy of New Caledonia, we examine how, in a background of social inequalities, the Kanak People’s labour struggle becomes subsumed in a vast program of Social Dialogue that is part of the overall framework of social partnership

Independence, dependencies and inter-dependencies: contextualizing labour voice in the French Pacific territories

This seminar aims at critically examining the nature and determinants of labour voices in the French Pacific Territories, i.e. New Caledonia and Polynesia. Although under the same colonial ruler, both regions have shaped their own path to autonomy in quite distinctive ways, between independence and dependencies and in the management of economic, geo-political and ethnic interdependences. We will thus insist on the need to provide a 'contextualised comparison': 'The Curse of Wealth' (New Caledonia) and 'The Cage of Beauty' (Polynesia). We will also discuss the complex duality of colonial and anti-colonial voices within the labour movement and further, in labour politics. The seminar will finally focus on New Caledonia, including the legal and socio-political forces and narratives at play in the lead-up to next year 2014 referendum on the roadmap to decolonization. This is a highly contested terrain in a context where French Authorities have been engaging in a far ranging program of reconciliation and social partnership – the 'Common Destiny'. Special attention to industrial relations is particularly relevant for two reasons: first, historically, the split of Indigenous activists from the mainstream union gave the impetus to the formation of the Kanak People liberation movement; second, the issue of independence is quite a divisive issue between Indigenous and French led unions, in a context where industrial relations find themselves engulfed in the frame of social partnership

Australian trade unions and international labour movements

This chapter draws upon these differences within the Australian trade union movement to explore the challenges facing unions today and possible solutions to these challenges. These challenges arise from the shift in the economy from the traditional industrial base of unions to the relatively poorly organised private services sector; the development by employers of human resource strategies engaging with employees as individuals rather than members of collective organisations extending beyond the workplace; the impact of the pressures of globalisation on workplace competitiveness and workplace relations with unions; the shift of the legislative framework of bargaining from the national and industry levels to the workplace; and the constraints placed on union operations by the state. The resulting decline in union membership – particularly in the private sector - has led unions to try a range of strategies to grow membership again. These include organising strategies based in workplace-level delegate activism and also reaching out to community groups to invoke their support to protect jobs and working conditions. Examples will be given of specific campaigns of the Australian trade union movement that illustrate different strategies adopted by unions. In response to globalisation of business, trade unions have developed international confederations and industry groups since the 1940s. Since the late 1980s, these bodies have developed strategies to deal with multinational employers, and recently the need to embed unions internationally in social movements and calling for decent jobs for employees worldwide. This chapter concludes with an overview of these international developments and their potential to renew unionism

Altermondialisme, alter-syndicalisme? Revue et regard sur l'Australie

This paper considers the extent to which the anti-globalisation or global social justice movement could contribute to a revival of trade unions. After an account of the early theoretical corpus that emerged at the turn of the 21st Century and which argued for the need for a revitalisation of trade union politics, it identifies the ways in which the new protest movements represent a challenge for the trade unions and the lessons they might learn in facing up to this challenge. Four fault lines are outlined in relation to key areas of concern: political alternatives; participatory democracy; organic cohesion and inclusion; the renewal of activism. It finally focuses on the Australian context, which lets us conclude on a note of scepticism

Multiculturalism in Singapore and Malaysia: approaches and outcomes

Purpose: This paper examines cases of multiculturalism in Singapore and Malaysia. Through causal socio-cultural mechanisms, we observe how two countries in proximity, with shared histories and demographic profiles, achieve differing outcomes in regard to social cohesion and competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach: The paper employs case-centric process tracing (CPT) to build a ‘plausible’ explanation of causal mechanisms that can contribute to social cohesion and competitiveness. We adopt a common analytical framework to distil the nuances of generalizability and a cross-case analysis in order to ascertain factors that enable multiculturalism. Findings: Different causal mechanisms result in diverging outcomes in the two countries. In managing multiculturalism, Singapore has pursued policy actions emphasizing ‘integration and pragmatism’, while Malaysia has followed a model of ‘separation and preferentialism’. Judging by a selected number of established indicators, Singapore’s multiculturalism outcomes seem more successful than that of Malaysia in respect to areas of national competitiveness and interethnic tolerance. Practical implications: This paper shed insights on the policy actions that promoted multicultural integration. The process tracing approach is found to be a useful tool in helping policy makers understand how intrinsic mechanisms can contribute to more/less desirable socioeconomic outcomes. Originality/value: Together with the evidence using the CPT approach, the paper draws attention to multiculturalism evolving through distinctive sets of public policy. We ultimately suggest that such policies can be paralleled to the function played by institutions in leading to ‘varieties of capitalism’ and have an impact on achieving cohesive and competitive societies

Adieu au Fair Go ? Néolibéralisme et reconfiguration des relations professionnelles en Australie / Farewell to the Fair Go? Neoliberalism and Industrial Relations in Australia

Cet article traite de l’évolution des relations industrielles en Australie au cours du dernier quart de siècle, une période qui marque le passage du pays à un régime néolibéral. Une caractéristique dominante du projet néo-libéral a été de décollectiviser le système pour laisser place à une régulation de marché, le faire évoluer vers l’individualisme, éroder l’autorité des syndicats et étendre les prérogatives patronales. Les réformes ont eu des conséquences lourdes sur le monde du travail, entraînant le développement continu de l’emploi précaire, des arrangements d’emploi ambigus, un déclin à long terme de la part du travail dans le revenu national. La conclusion porte sur les conditions d’un rééquilibrage du système dans le sens de la promotion de l’équité et de conditions d’emploi décentes. This article covers the evolution of industrial relations in Australia over the last quarter century, a period which marks the country’s shift to a neo-liberal policy regime. A dominant feature of the neo- liberal project has been to shift the industrial relations system towards individualism, erode trade union authority, and extend employer prerogative. These reforms have had serious consequences on employment and its regulation, leading to the ongoing development of short-term and precarious employment, ambiguous employment arrangements, a long-term decline in labour’s share in national income. The conclusion discusses the conditions required for restoring the system of industrial relations towards promoting equity and decent employment conditions

Believing the unbelievable: the myth of Russians 'with snow on their boots' in the United Kingdom, 1914

PublishedArticle“This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Cultural and Social History on1 May 2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/ 10.2752/147800414X13802176314528.”In the opening months of the First World War, a rumour spread across the United Kingdom that Russian soldiers – identified by the ‘snow on their boots’ – had landed in Scotland en route to the Western Front. Despite being relegated to history’s footnotes as a comical but meaningless episode, this article takes the rumour seriously. Unconcerned with questions of ‘truth’ (the rumour was dismissed as fantastical by late October 1914), I will argue that the real value of this story is in what it reveals about British society at the outbreak of war. The rumour emerged as the British Expeditionary Force entered its first big test of the Great War – the battle of Mons – which would result in Germany’s first great victory and resulting in thousands of casualties. As such the rumour can be interpreted as a form of ‘secular apparition’ bringing consolation to many. It was one of the ways ordinary people made sense of their newly threatening world