With declining union membership and an Australian industrial relations climate hostile to trade unions, how do unions, particularly those regarded as 'classic'or 'traditional', adapt in order to survive? Shrinking industry bases often further com pound the situation facing these unions. The Queensland branch of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union is such a union in such an industry. Denounced by critics as a 'dinosaur', the AMIEU (Qld) has demonstrated that it can adapt and evolve to meet the challenges raised by the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and industry employers, thereby answering these critics and rebutting this negative epithet.
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