Collective bargaining for paid parental leave in Australia 2005–2010: A complex context effect

Summary, in English

In the period leading up to the federal government’s May 2009 announcement of a paid parental leave scheme, there was a surge in community and media debate about the absence of such a scheme in Australia. This article explores whether this context had some bearing on bargaining outcomes during that time. We analyse data from the Australian Workplace Agreements Database to determine the incidence and length of paid parental leave in collective agreements registered between 2005 and 2010. The results show an increase in the number of agreements that included paid parental leave clauses in the period, with just over 14010. Moreover, 18010 included a paid parental leave clause, suggesting an increase in bargaining outcomes over time. We also find a slight increase in the average duration of paid parental leave in collective agreements. A leave of 14 weeks is most common in public sector agreements but less than 34 weeks or more. These marked differences between the public and private sectors suggest minimal change in private sector bargaining outcomes. We conclude that the legislative context does influence bargaining outcomes, but that this effect is felt more in public sector than private sector bargaining.

• Author: Marian Baird; John Murray
• Publishing year: 2014
• Language: English
• Pages: 47-62
• Publication/Series: The Economic and Labour Relations Review
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 1
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1035304614522566
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Topic: Business Administration
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1838-2673