Unit Synopsis
This unit discusses the changing nature of employment relations. In this unit, you will assess the role of state, employers, unions and employees in employment relations within the context of a changing labour market. You will analyse the legal, political and economic framework within which employment relations take place. Contemporary issues will be highlighted and discussed.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Literature Review or Systematic Review | 50% |
| 2. Case Study | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 66.67% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 10.71% response rate.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Unit Evaluations and student emails
The assessment requires further clarification.
The Unit Coordinator will provide more detailed information on the assessment.
In response to previous feedback, all information regarding the unit assessments has been centralised in the Assessment tab, creating a one-stop "Assessment Hub". This comprehensive resource includes a document outlining assessment descriptions, requirements, templates, and marking rubrics. Additionally, a video explanation has been provided to enhance students' understanding of the assessment requirements.
Source: Unit Evaluations and student emails
The assessment does not relate to the Unit as a whole
The Uni Coordinator will explain in greater detail how the assessment relates to the Unit as a whole.
In response to previous feedback, the Unit Coordinator revised the assessment tasks to ensure explicit alignment with the unit's focus on the principles of employment relations. For instance, in Term 1, 2025, students were required to prepare a report identifying key issues from the provided articles that are currently influencing employment relations in Australia, including topics such as the Right to Disconnect, gig worker reforms, and trends in union membership. The assessment further required students to critically analyse how the main actors are responding to these challenges.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflection
The current textbook, published in 2018, provides a solid foundation in fundamental theories and concepts; however, its real-world examples and coverage of employment regulations are somewhat outdated.
To ensure the continued relevance of the unit, it is recommended to replace or supplement the current textbook with a more recent publication, providing students with access to up-to-date examples, contemporary theories, and current references in employment relations.
In Progress
Source: Student evaluations
Knowledge and skills
Opportunities for guest presenters or sessions will be explored, and current real-world case studies will be embedded in the learning materials.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain and analyse the role of the state, employers, unions and employees in employment relations.
- Assess the impact of changes in the labour market and in the legal, political and economic framework on employment relations.
- Identify and discuss contemporary issues in employment relations.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Literature Review or Systematic Review | • | • | • |
| 2 - Case Study | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |