Marie Irwin
Senior Workplace Relations Adviser
Marie has worked in the field of workplace relations and employment law for more than twenty years with ASX100 companies, trade unions and major law firms in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. She has advised on and led employee relations strategy, organisational change and case management of complex individual employment matters in diverse industries, including finance, energy, retail, stevedoring, oil, supply chain and manufacturing.
Recent roles include senior employee relations positions within Woolworths, CS Energy Ltd, Caltex and Lion limited. In her role as Employee Relations Consultant, Marie leverages her understanding of the external environment, legal framework and trends to review and analyse employee relations strategy.
As an experienced Workplace Relations practitioner, Marie has built a reputation for enabling HR and operational management to implement constructive solutions to existing and anticipated challenges within the workplace. She has advised senior executive teams and boards on strategic approaches to workplace relations, including major change involving closures, automation and business acquisitions, as well as leading sensitive investigations into executive behaviour.
Marie coaches enterprise-bargaining negotiation teams, assisting them to develop successful bargaining strategies and practices. She also provides guidance on the appropriate management of employee under-performance, adverse action matters, employees suffering long-term illnesses and allegations of bullying or harassment. As an accredited Human Synergistics coach she has coached managers regarding a variety of employee relations issues.
Complemented by her legal experience and background, Marie has undertaken employee relations legal planning regarding enterprise bargaining and major change, to mitigate against protected and unprotected industrial action, which has included union negotiations.
In addition to her certification in change management and leadership performance, Marie is a qualified lawyer, admitted as a legal practitioner in the High Court of Australia, holds a first class Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts, (Politics) as well as a Master’s degree in Law and Management from the University of NSW.
