Aiming for collaborative transformation: a case study of Orora Fibre Packaging and the AMWU Printing Division

This is a case study of a significant change in the strategic relationship between management and the dominant union in an Australian manufacturing organisation. The organisation is Orora Fibre Packaging (OFP). The union is the Printing Division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU). The case study covers the period from mid-2012 to November 2014, from a time when the division was making a loss and facing a much bigger one to, more recently, the reversal of this negative slide and better prospects for the future. This turnaround in performance is largely attributed to a collaborative transformation process—a transformation in how work was done as well as a transformation in relationships at work. The case study pays particular attention to the role of the third parties in the transformation process. This case study is part of a larger project led by independent researchers and supported by the Fair Work Commission. This case study uses extracts from this project’s report, and the 25 in-depth interviews which were conducted in October, November and December 2014.