This paper contributes to our understanding of industrial change by developing a crucial area of interface—industrial restructuring and the management of labour. Until recently, labour management has been underrecognised in geographical studies of industrial development and change, yet management decisionmaking and strategic choice permeate all aspects of capital—labour relations. Similarly, spatial dimensions have rarely been acknowledged as an element in labour research. The author adopts a ‘restructuring framework’ which integrates spatial insights from industrial geography with the agency of capitalist management and an investment approach to employment relations. After the study has been situated within the vast literature on coal, the strengths of this joint conceptual approach are demonstrated in the context of the Australian coal industry.
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