Monash survey provides worker 'snapshot'

26 October 2004

Workers are generally happy in their jobs, although they would like more say about pay levels; and most non-unionists are 'free riders' -- happy to receive union benefits without paying fees.

Those are some of the findings of a new survey that provides a snapshot of Australian workers and their attitudes to a range of employment issues.

The findings have just been released by the Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work (ACREW), at Monash University, Faculty of Business and Economics.

The survey showed most Australian workers had positive attitudes to their current employment, with 75 per cent reporting high levels of trust in their employer, 84.3 per cent reporting job satisfaction, 73.5 per cent reporting job security and 82.4 per cent expressing loyalty to their employer.

A majority of employees -- 80.1 per cent -- also reported that they were encouraged to develop their skills, and 78.7 per cent said their managers demonstrated an understanding of balancing work-family issues.

More than 60 per cent of Australian non-union workers confessed to 'free riding'. They do not join unions, not because they are opposed to them, but because they believe they receive the benefits anyway.

The findings of the Australian Worker Representation and Participation Survey were released at the official launch of ACREW on Wednesday 27 October at Federation Square, Melbourne.

Professor Julian Teicher, head of the Department of Management, said the centre was established in recognition of the significance of employment and work issues, and would promote responsive and socially responsible research and educational programs.

With more than 40 Academic staff, ACREW has one of the largest Australian concentrations of researchers in the field of work and employment.

ACREW's research portfolio spans the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and the broad disciplines of industrial and employee relations, human resource management and organisational behaviour.

For further information call Ms Querida Seip, Business and Economics faculty, on +61 3 9903 2265 or 0438 009 621; or Ms Robyn Anns, Media Communications, on +61 3 9905 9317 or 0417 568 781.