Peak unions in Australia: Origin, purpose, power, agency

This innovative and comprehensive book is the first detailed study of the making and development of Australian peak unions. For over 150 years, peak unions have been central part of the Australian industrial relations landscape, playing vital roles in union growth and labour renewal. They remain by far the most significant institutional form of inter-union cooperation in the country. This multi-author book systematically examines their nature and influence. It combines a comparative method with conceptual insights from the fields of industrial relations, history, geography, organizational studies, and political science. Its thirteen chapters explore the whole range of peak unions and labour councils--from local bodies, to State councils, to the national peak union body, the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The book allies empirical diversity with theoretical cohesion. Two conceptual chapters develop a model for explaining the formation and changing purpose and power of peak unions.