The 'new industrial relations' seeks a more decentralised approach which emphasises
the importance of enterprise-level agreements between management and the
workforce. While some of the more radical proponents seek to weaken the power
of trade unions and the arbitration tribunals, others are concerned to achieve greater
flexibility within the current centralised system. There is, in fact, a good deal of
common ground among those advocating workplace reform among leading union
and employer bodies. Yet many managers remain ill-prepared for changes which
involve more direct consultation and negotiation with the workforce.
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