NEGOTIATING THE CONTESTED TERRAIN OF DRUG TESTING IN THE AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACE PETER HOLLAND, * AMANDA PYMAN * AND JULIAN TEICHER * A lcohol and illicit substance abuse in the workplace is an important human resource and industrial relations issue. Although more sophisticated measures have been developed to test and monitor drug use in the workplace, and despite tacit union support on occupational health and safety grounds, the implementation of drug testing procedures remains contentious. This paper examines the arguments for and against drug testing in the workplace using an Australian case study where drug testing resulted in industrial disputation that led to legal intervention and remedy. INTRODUCTION Alcohol and illicit substance abuse is becoming a major concern in the Australian workplaces (Miletic 2004). The drug testing debate traverses a range of theoretical perspectives including human resource management, industrial relations, labour process theory and ethics. In this paper, we attempt to incorporate these themes within the ongoing debate on drug testing in the workplace. By using this broad framework to view the issues on drug testing in Australia, a more comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the issues is developed. The perspectives of the important players are used to examine the contested terrain of drug testing and a case study of the introduction of drug testing is used to provide a deeper understanding of the complex and contentious issues which arise. This paper is organised into five parts. In the first section, the issue of drug and alcohol testing is examined from the perspectives of employers, employees and trade unions. Fitness for duty and holistic approaches to drug and alcohol testing are reviewed in the second part of the paper. In the third section, a case study of the implementation of drug testing in three BHP mine sites is reviewed to explore the complex practical issues related to drug testing. In the fourth section, the issues recognised in the literature are related to the key issues that emerged from the case study. The final section concludes, showing the complex and contentious matters pertaining to workplace drug and alcohol testing. THE ISSUE OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AT WORK:DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES Substance abuse and the potential dangers it poses in the workplace are well doc- umented. For example, Wall (1992) identifies that both illicit substance abuse and * Monash University. THE JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,VOL. 47, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2005, 326--338