Industrial Relations essay competition

Griffith Business School, the Young Workers' Advisory Service, the Industrial Relations Society of Queensland and the Queensland Department of Employment and Industrial Relations invite Year 11 and 12 students to participate in the 2008 Industrial Relations essay competition.

Each school is invited to submit industrial relations essays written by students as part of their formal assessment, for any Year 11 or 12 subject in 2008.

Closing Date: 5 September 2008

Judging criteria

Essays will be judged against the following criteria:

Clarity of expression

  • Use of plain, effective language
  • Sufficient attention to grammar, spelling and syntax

Overall structure of essay

  • Coherent arguments
  • Coherent, logical progression of ideas and arguments
  • Evidence of analysis
  • Evaluation or discussion of the issues

Evidence of independent research

  • Adequate referencing and acknowledgment of all sources
  • Effective use of footnotes, endnotes or in-text referencing
  • A variety of sources (not simply organisations’ websites or newspaper articles)
  • Inclusion of Bibliography*

* The failure to include a bibliography (or reference list) will disqualify the essay.

Prizes

The winner will receive $600, the first runner-up will receive $300, and the second runner-up will be awarded $200. In addition, the winner's school will receive $800. Every participant will be awarded a certificate of participation.

Terms and conditions

To be eligible for entry, essays must:

  1. Be on an industrial relations topic
  2. Be between 1,200 and 2,000 words in length
  3. Display evidence of research, analysis and evaluation
  4. Include in-text referencing or footnotes/endnotes, and a bibliography
  5. Be on any industrial relations topic set by a teacher, including but not limited to topics suggested by the competition organisers
  6. Be submitted by a student enrolled at a Queensland school
  7. Be accompanied by an entry form signed by the student and a teacher

Judging will be at the discretion of the organisers. Only one entry per student allowed. Competition not open to direct family member of a person who is (a) a staff member of Griffith University, the Queensland Department of Employment and Industrial Relations or the Young Workers Advisory Service; or (b) a committee member of Young Workers Advisory Service or the Industrial Relations Society of Queensland.

Suggested topics

The essay may be on any industrial relations topic.

Industrial relations is defined as 'the interaction of people and organisations at work', and it includes not only what occurs in the workplace, but decisions that are made by governments about what laws and rules are set for what happens at workplaces.

Note that industrial relations is not just about low-skill or 'blue collar' workers. It is about all kinds of workers, and all kinds of organisations and industries.

Please note: students may enter an essay on any industrial relations topic. Suggested topics include:

  1. Changes in industrial relations law have been of considerable media interest in the last couple of years. Describe the further changes that are proposed in 2008, and assess their likely impact as compared to reforms introduced in 2006.
  2. Young people working in casual part-time jobs are an increasing part of the workforce. Describe the main rights of young people in employment, and evaluate whether there are sufficient (or too many!) protections and rights for young workers.
  3. Define and describe "unlawful discrimination at work", and analyse whether anti-discrimination legislation is effective in preventing discrimination at work.
  4. What is the role and value of unions in Australia?
  5. What are the causes of gender pay inequity, and what are some of the solutions?
  6. What are the causes of gender pay inequity, and what are some of the solutions?
  7. Of recent years, there have been considerable pressures to change industrial relations practices in Australian business organisations. What are these pressures, and what changes have they resulted in?
  8. "It is important to have laws regulating occupational health and safety". Discuss and analyse this statement, agreeing or disagreeing with the proposition.
  9. Analyse your own workplace from an industrial relations perspective. Research the source of your wages and conditions, the approaches of managers and owners to the employees, the presence or absence of unions and their effectiveness, human resource strategies (ie the way the employer manages people), and the teamwork and relationships between employees. Is it an efficient organisation, and a fair one to work for?
  10. Choose a current or past industrial dispute. What were the causes and consequences of that dispute, and what does it illustrate about industrial relations in Australia?

Reference websites

Some starting points for your research include:

Useful books

Teachers wishing to order books on industrial relations for their school libraries should be aware of the following useful books:

  • Alexander, R. and Lewer, J. (2004) Understanding Australian Industrial Relations (Sixth Edition), Melbourne: Thomson (to be read in conjunction with Alexander, R. (2007) Understanding Australian Industrial Relations: WorkChoices Update, Melbourne: Thomson).
  • Balnave, J. (2006) Employment Relations in Australia, Brisbane: Wiley.
  • Bray, M., Deery, S., Walsh, J., and Waring, P. (2005) Industrial Relations: A Contemporary Analysis (Third Edition), Sydney: McGraw Hill (you should also read the Legislative Update on this book, which was written before the current WorkChoices legislation was introduced).
  • Peetz, D. (2006) Brave New Workplace: How Individual Contracts are Changing our Jobs, Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
  • Sappey, R., Burgess, J., Lyons, M. and Buultjens, J. (2006) Industrial Relations in Australia: Work and Workplaces, Sydney: Pearson.
  • Sappey, R., Burgess, J., Lyons, M. and Buultjens, J. (2006) The New Federal Workplace Relations System, Sydney: Pearson.
  • Teicher, J., Holland, P. and Gough, R. (Eds.) (2006) Employee Relations Management (Second Edition), Sydney: Pearson.
  • Teicher, J., Lambert, R. and O'Rourke, A. (2006) WorkChoices: The New Industrial Relations Agenda, Sydney, Pearson.
  • Wynhausen, E. (2005) Dirt Cheap: Life at the Wrong End of the Job Market, Sydney: Macmillan.

There is also a small selection of material on the latest IR changes available online:

Entry form

Completed entry forms must be submitted by 5 September 2008.

Please send completed entry forms to:

Ms Julie McGregor
Department of Employment Relations, Griffith Business School (N50 2.20)
Nathan campus Griffith University
170 Kessels Road Nathan QLD 4111

Questions?

Telephone: (07) 3735 7619
Email: j.mcgregor@griffith.edu.au

Sponsors

Griffith University Queensland Government IRSQ Young Workers Advisory Service

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