Union Shareholder Activism in the Context of Declining Labour Law Protection: Four Australian Case Studies

Abstract

In the face of declining prominence and influence under industrial relations laws regulating Australian workplaces, Australian trade unions appear increasingly to be directing their attention to Corporations Law as a mechanism for pursuing union and employee “voice” within corporate business organisation. This paper undertakes an examination of four recent “union shareholder” campaigns, the circumstances in which they were undertaken, the objectives of the “union shareholder” strategies and the outcomes of the campaigns. The paper also opens up for consideration whether union shareholder activism is merely a new strategy for pursuing conventional industrial aims, or whether it potentially represents a move by unions to identify themselves as “insiders” with a dual interest in the profitability and governance of the corporation as both shareholders and stakeholders.

Keywords: shareholder activism; corporate governance; trade unions; labour relations