“labour Relations for Australian Domestic Airline Pilots since the 1989 Dispute”

Since the pilots’ dispute ended in 1989, globalisation has fundamentally altered the environment in which pilots establish their terms of employment. This paper argues that pilot labour relations have been affected by globalisation in three ways. First, the Australian airline industry was deregulated in 1990. Second, the introduction of the Workplace Relations Act (1996) deregulated the Australian labour market and third, airline management has been heavily influenced by a neo-liberal ideology that focuses on the principles of strategic Human Resource Management in response to increased competition. Empirical research will investigate the impact that these changes have had on pilots themselves, the attitudes they hold towards the changing involvement of unions and airline management in the process, and their perspective on the impact that globalisation has had on their terms of employment since the 1989 dispute. Research will also consider the point of view held by pilot unions and airline management regarding the implications of globalisation for pilot labour relations in Australia.