IRS Newcastle Branch - Practitioners Workshop: Relationships and Rights - Navigating the changing world of union/employer relations

Practitioners Workshop

Date: Thursday 22 February 2024

Time: 2.00pm - 5.00pm

Venue: Wests Bowling Club, New Lambton 

The Industrial Relations Society of NSW - Newcastle Branch is excited to announce our first event of 2024. The theme for the event will explore the nature of relationships between employers, unions, and delegates and how recent changes to legislation will influence the rights and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the industrial relations sphere. 

Amongst other things, this will focus on Right of Entry processes and disputes under both the Fair Work Act (Cth) and the Work Health and Safety Act (NSW) coupled with the changing nature of delegate's rights under the Closing Loopholes Amendments.

INTRODUCING OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Deputy President Tony Saunders, Fair Work Commission

DP Saunders was appointed to Commissioner in 2015 and has held the Deputy President position since December 2018. Prior to the FWC, he was a Barrister specialising in workplace relations litigation including employment claims, industrial disputes, discrimination and work health and safety. DP Saunders was admitted as a solicitor in 1998 and was later rated in Doyle’s Guide to the Legal Profession as a leading employment and workplace relations barrister.

Brendan Edghill, Senior Associate - Sparke Helmore Lawyers

Brendan is employed as a Senior Associate in the Workplace Group at Sparke Helmore Lawyers. In this role, Brendan advises and represents employers in a wide range of employment and industrial law matters including right of entry, collective and individual disputes, complex workplace investigations and dismissals. He has experience in consultation and negotiation at the workplace level, negotiating enterprise bargaining agreements and award matters, and running litigation in state and federal employment tribunals.

Brendan previously spent over 15 years working as a trade union official in roles at the Health Services Union NSW, the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union and the Finance Sector Union. Prior to joining Sparke Helmore, Brendan also worked as a solicitor in the Employment and Industrial Law section at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers where he advised and represented unions and employees.

More speakers to be announced!

Light refreshments will be served

For any enquiries, please contact newcastle@irsnsw.org.au

Booking terms and conditions apply