Government and Government organisations

1. Government and Government organisations • Governments are important stakeholders in the human resource management process. Over time, they have significantly affected the industrial relations system as a result of their key roles, as follows: • Roles – • Legislator • Employer • Responsible economic manager • Administrator of government policies on industrial relations • Representative of Australia in the international arena, in foreign affairs, trade and international labour matters. • Statutes – • Are laws made by federal and state parliaments; for example, laws relating to employment conditions. • Since January 2010, Australia has shifted from a dual federal and state industrial relations system to a national industrial relations framework. • Recognizes the efficiency of a more standardized system to business • Industrial tribunals and courts – • Exist at the federal and state levels to enforce laws established by governments. • Awards are legally enforceable, formal agreements made collectively between employers and employees and their representatives at the industry level. They are determined by an industrial court or tribunal and set out minimum wages and conditions of employees • Award simplification is the process of reducing the number of matters in each award and eliminating inefficient work practices. • Federal court – Judicial power – refers to the power of courts to interpret and apply laws. • Other government agencies – • A number of other federal and sate government agencies are also stakeholders in the human resources process. For example, the roles of the Australian Human Rights Commission (HREOC), the Equal Employment for Women Agency (EOWA) and state organisations such as the Anti-Discrimination Board are to implement particular areas of government legislation. • Society – • One of the most significant issues for any voter is their job. If there are threats to employment or conditions at work, whether as a result of planned legislation, economic conditions, pressure arising from global competition or adverse social impacts, voters make their views clearly known. • As global competition increases the pressure on businesses to become leaner, the need for more efficient operations, global business consolidation and rationalisation of production has increased. • Community demands for safety and wellbeing at work have increased over recent decades, as has the pressure to eliminate discrimination against female, indigenous and disabled members of the working community. • For businesses, it means an ongoing battle between the need for the business to find ways to reduce its biggest cost — labour — as pressure increases from global competition, and the needs of employees, particularly those with dependent families.