Corporate Social Responsibility and the Management of Labour in Two Australian Mining Industry Companies

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8683.2007.00542.x
• Publication Date: 2007-01-04T06:59:27Z
• Authors: Meredith Jones; Shelley Marshall; Richard Mitchell
• Keywords: 8. Economic growth; 0502 economics and business; 05 social sciences; Business and Management; 10. No inequality; 12. Responsible consumption

This paper undertakes an examination of the espoused commitment to CSR principles and its relationship with the labour management systems in two Australian mining companies. The paper explores the extent to which the adoption of a CSR strategy has affected the management of labour in three respects: “collective” relations with unions; “partnership‐style” relations with unions and workers; and the adoption of HPWS measures. The paper concludes that while each company has made substantial “in principle” commitments as a result of CSR, there is nothing to suggest that CSR considerations are sufficiently powerful in themselves to bring about systemic change in the management of labour.