Using individual casework to advance workers’ rights in employment mediation: with Ana Lenard

Come join us for this exciting webinar!

Ana is a Law PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales, a Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland, and a Barrister.  Her research, teaching and practice interests are dispute resolution and professional obligations.

Ana’s PhD research focuses on employment mediation in Aotearoa.  In particular, her proposed research question considers the relationship between individual casework and systemic issues affecting workers. 

Historically, workers were able to protect and advance their rights collectively. Union membership was compulsory for the greater part of the 20th Century, unions had a significant role to play in setting the terms and conditions of employment, and they were tasked with bringing disputes and grievances on behalf of individual employees. Since wide-ranging neoliberal reforms from the late 1980s, union density has been decimated and has never recovered.  Individual workers have also been empowered to bring grievances directly against employers. The shift towards individual disputing has contributed to a steady growth in employment mediations. 

In today’s context, where the Employment Relations Act 2000 envisages mediation as the primary problem-solving mechanism for employment issues and disputes but union membership remains low, how do employment mediators understand their role in identifying systemic issues affecting workers?  Ana will be presenting her research proposal at this webinar, inviting attending dispute resolution practitioners to have a korero with her about her proposed topic.