Ethical Workplaces in 2016

Patricia King, Rhona Murphy and Michelle O'Sullivan

ICTU, IBEC and the University of Limerick

Patricia King is General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. She is the first woman to occupy the post. She was also the first woman to serve as a national officer of SIPTU, Ireland’s largest union. Patricia was a full time official with SIPTU for over 25 years. She has represented workers in all areas of the economy, in both the public and private sectors. She was a lead negotiator in both the Croke Park and Haddington Road agreements and is a member of the National Oversight Body tasked with implementation of the latter agreement. She played a leading role in the Irish Ferries dispute (2005/6) and in subsequent negotiations that saw an overhaul of employment rights law and the establishment of the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA).

Rhona Murphy is Head of Employment Law Services in the Irish Business and Employers’ confederation. Rhona is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, where she obtained a law degree (LLB) before qualifying as a solicitor. She worked in private practice for a number of years, representing employers, employees and trade unions. She joined Ibec’s Legal and Equality Unit in 2005 and became head of its Employment Law Services in 2007.

Michelle O'Sullivan is lecturer in the Kenny Business School in the University of Limerick. She is the lead author of the recent report on zero hours contracts in Ireland, commissioned by the former government. She has published across a range of topics including trade unions, employee voice, migrant workers, dispute resolution, workplace bullying and employment law. In 2015, Michelle was appointed to the Board of the Workplace Relations Commission by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

Moderator: John Geary is Professor of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, College of Business, University College Dublin.