Industrial relations climate, employee voice and managerial attitudes to unions: an Australian study

This article examines how employee voice arrangements and managerial attitudes
to unions shape employees’ perceptions of the industrial relations climate,
using data from the 2007 Australian Worker Representation and Participation
Survey (AWRPS) of 1,022 employees. Controlling for a range of personal, job
and workplace characteristics, regression analyses demonstrate that employees’
perceptions of the industrial relations climate are more likely to be favourable
if they have access to direct-only voice arrangements. Where management is
perceived by employees to oppose unions (in unionized workplaces), the industrial
relations climate is more likely to be reported as poor. These findings have
theoretical implications, and significant practical implications for employers,
employees, unions and the government.