Employer militancy in AustraliaWhat is employer militancy? How has employers' action towards trade unions changed since the late 1980s? Why have Australian employers undertaken this change in approach? This essay will answer the three questions posed. First of all, it will be briefly explained what is meant by employer militancy. The main characteristics of the aggressive approach adopted by employers in their relations with unions since the 1980s will be outlined. Secondly, this essay will describe changes in employers' actions towards unions. It will outline the different phases that have occurred during the change and discuss trends that illustrate the growing tendency of employers to deal with or avoid dealing with unions or to avoid dealing with them entirely. Finally, this essay sets out the reasons why Australian employers have undertaken this change in approach. It will outline multiple factors, such as economic, political and changes in legislation, which will help explain this change in approach. This essay will also include the decline in union coverage as both a result and a cause of this change in approach. Since the 1980s, Australian employers have become increasingly hostile towards unions due to their perceived excessive involvement in bargaining over working conditions, arbitration and disputes. This has created the phenomenon that has been called employer militancy. Alexander et al. (2008:97) define employer militancy as “the willingness of employers to take legal action to secure punitive damages against a union’.