Police unions, industrial strategies and political influence: some recent history

ABSTRACTThis article examines an area of Australian industrial relations that has received little attention in the academic literature on employment-- police unionism. The article addresses two main issues. Firstly, it provides an examination of the changing nature of police work and management practices. Secondly, it evaluates the distinctive character of strategies developed by police unions and the legitimacy of their political role. The overview concludes that in an environment where the majority of unions are struggling to maintain membership and develop strategies that deal effectively with increasingly strict legislative constraints, police unions have been remarkably successful.