Unions, the workplace and social cohesion

Abstract

Employment is a major site of activity and aspirations for most immigrants to Australia. This is as true for permanent settlers as for temporary workers and refugees. Employment confers income, status and acceptance within society, and the ability to live independently and with dignity. Without employment, immigrants become marginalised and unable to interact effectively with the receiving society. While employment is important to most people, either directly or indirectly, it has particular significance for immigrants, given their high initial establishment costs, their concern to assist relatives and friends overseas, and the economic aspirations that motivate many to emigrate in the first place. This chapter starts from the view that the overall quantity and quality of available employment is vital to people's sense of well-being and social inclusion in Australian society. In an era of increasing casualisation, fragmentation and deregulation of work, the quality of work on offer is as important to consider as the quantity. If social cohesion (or social harmony) is understood to be an absence of violence, ghettoisation and class conflict, then the inclusion of immigrants in appropriate, dignified and adequately rewarded employment would seem to be vital to any quest for enduring harmony in society. Recent trends in the regulation of employmentm immigration policy and ongoing economic restructuring suggest there are growing pressure points in the Australian labour market that threaten social cohesion. Immigrants and other new settlers stand at the centre of these trends and are among the most vulnerable to their influence. While the situation of immigrant workers and their families is diverse and complex, some cautionary insights can be gleaned from analysing the trends. This chapter examines, in broad terms, the kinds of changes that have occurred in the employment sphere, the changing role of immigrant workers (the focus in this context being those from diverse linguistic backgrounds) within the Australian economy and their patterns of participation in our multicultural workforce. The chapter will outline the particular types of occupational change and workforce restructuring affecting Australian-born and immigrant labour over the past 15-20 years. This is followed by a more focused discussion of changes to legislation in industrial relations and the role of trade unions in the working lives of immigrant workers. Broader policy impacts on the labour market such as immigration policy, deregulation and international competition are considered. The chapter concludes with an analysis of potential winners and losers among the multicultural workforce and ways that this could undermine social cohesion. Suggestions are made as to how some policy balance maybe restored that would benefit all vulnerable workers, induding immigrants, while ensuring the ongoing development of a flexible and competitive labour market