Productivity, Negotiation and Arbitration: The Coal Industry Case, 1985-86

The focus of this paper is the Australian coal industry dispute of 1985-86, which concluded with a decision by the Coal Industry Tribunal in June 1986. The central issue of the dispute was a productivity-based wage claim put forward by the unions involved in the coal industry. The paper examines the bargaining positions adopted by the unions and the coal producers on this issue and the process by which the tribunal arrived at its decision. Tlie wider implications of the negotiation/arbitration path followed and, in particular, the significance of the productivity criterion as a basis for settlement are also discussed.