Employment law
Local governments face particular challenges and must meet specific requirements relating to employment law matters. At McLeods, our team of employment lawyers work alongside local governments across WA, assisting with a broad range of employment matters that affect their operation.
Our employment lawyers have a thorough understanding of the unique responsibilities and risks associated with local government employment law issues. We understand that for a local government, these issues are often complicated, requiring a sensitive and confidential approach.
As part of our practice, our employment lawyers invest time in understanding the specificities of each matter so that we can provide our clients with tailored and practical solutions to their particular circumstances. We are committed to responding quickly and proactively to the full spectrum of employment law issues that our clients face.
Our areas of expertise
Recruitment and contracts of employment
Workplace relations issues
- employee benefits and leave entitlements;
- management of employee grievances;
- management of poor employee performance;
- investigation and dealing with misconduct and inappropriate workplace behaviour;
- negotiating mutually acceptable outcomes for employee and employer, and drafting appropriate documentation such as settlement agreements.
Industrial relations negotiations
- reviewing current agreements;
- developing and implementing negotiation strategies;
- ensuring negotiation processes comply with legal requirements;
- handling claims made by unions and other representatives;
- dealing with unlawful industrial action;
- drafting enterprise agreements;
- navigating the processes involved in the approval of a negotiated agreement.
Equal opportunity legislation
In the case that claims of discrimination are made, our team can assist with advice and representation services, enabling local governments to achieve the best possible outcome. Members of the McLeods team have been crucially involved in several landmark equal opportunity cases, including: representing the City of Perth before the Equal Opportunity Tribunal; acting as counsel for the City of Geraldton to defend an allegation of political discrimination; and acting as counsel for the Health Department of Western Australia in a major case to defend a series of allegations in the Equal Opportunity Tribunal.
Work Health and Safety Services
Key Personnel
Neil Douglas
Partner
Elisabeth Stevenson
Consultant