Abstract
The study of contract labour and its implications for industrial regulation has been neglected in Australia. As an initial attempt to remedy past neglect, this paper offers an account of contract labour (in the form of self-employed o wner-drivers) and its regulation in one section of the road transport industry, namely, the delivery of ready-mixed concrete in the Sydney metropolitan area. This industry represents an unusual example of contractors becoming strongly unionised and establishing an effective pattern of joint regulation over their rates and conditions. The close relationship between the contractors and the Transport Workers Union has also led to the industry playing an important role in the wider struggle between unions and employers in New South Wales over legislation designed to regulate contract labour.
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