About Sikeli Ratu
Sikeli has diverse experience across a range of employment, industrial relations and work health and safety matters with a particular focus on providing strategic advice to large clients on enterprise bargaining and the legal and practical aspects of implementing major organisational change. Clients for which Sikeli has worked include The Star Entertainment Group, AstraZeneca, Westpac, NAB, the New South Wales Government, HSBC, Mirvac, and Vodafone.
Sikeli's recent experience includes:
- negotiating, drafting, approval and roll-out of enterprise agreements, including acting for clients in bargaining disputes with unions;
- defending and prosecuting claims for breach of contract, breach of confidence and post-employment restraint claims;
- providing strategic and legal advice regarding senior executive employment contracts, template employment agreements, workplace policies and remuneration and incentive plans;
- providing employment termination advice, particularly in relation to the termination of senior executives;
- representing large employers in unfair dismissal, adverse action and discrimination claims, including claims arising from mass dismissals of employees involved in joint misconduct;
- partnering with clients to develop and implement large-scale business restructuring and redundancy programs;
- advising public and private sector clients in relation to employment and IR issues arising from asset recycling and major privatisation transactions;
- advising clients in relation to all aspects of WHS law, particularly in responding to major incidents, carrying out internal investigations, systems reviews and engagement with WHS regulators; and
- conducting whistleblowing investigations and other investigations into suspected employee misconduct, including investigating alleged serious wrongdoing, corruption, and alleged breaches of financial industry regulatory obligations.
Additionally, Sikeli has had in-house counsel experience, having been seconded to a specialised employee relations general counsel role with a large client for much of 2013. In this role, Sikeli provided advice (usually under significant time pressure) to the senior leadership team and board of directors on all aspects of employment and industrial relations law.