Labour-Community Coalitions and State Enterprise: the Lithgow Small Arms Factory 1918-1932

Abstract

This article examines Craypo and Nissen's concept of 'labour-community' coali tions. These coalitions fight retrenchment and plant closure in small towns and cities. They can include traditional industrial relations 'actors' such as unions. Coali tions can also include groups that traditional industrial relations theory does not capture, such as the clergy, the press, politicians and local entrepreneurs. This article strengthens Craypo and Nissen's concept by, for example, incorporating state enterprise and recognising that local management may play an important role in assisting these coalitions. It also briefly examines the implications of these coalitions for industrial relations theory, contrasting Dunlop's 'actors' with Dabscheck's 'interactors'. The article focuses on the example of the federal government's Lithgow Small Arms Factory during the period 1918 to 1932.