Collective Bargaining,Conciliation and Arbitration in Victorian Wages Boards

The Victorian wages board system, with its mixtures of collective bargaining, nciliation and casting vote arbitration, is in sharp contrast to the structures of ?e federal and state conciliation and arbitration systems. Consisting of tripartite ?hards involving employer and employee representatives and an independent airman, the Victorian system encourages negotiated settlements. Extensive iticism of wages boards as an effective means of conflict resolution exists. ?ost of the writings on wages boards, however, ignore the essential rationale the system: in fact no comprehensive investigation of this exercise of state dustrial power exists. This paper analyses the basic notions underlying wages ?ards.