Graeme Aitken

Graeme has led and conducted negotiations in a range of situations, and is skilled at building constructive engagement between people, and helping them develop solutions that are acceptable to all parties.

Graeme is very experienced at managing employment relations issues and processes, and has expertise in collective bargaining, dispute resolution, and partnership initiatives.  A lawyer who understands employment law, Graeme was involved in the development of the Employment Relations Act.

As Strategic Employment Relations Manager at the State Services Commission, he led the team that oversaw collective bargaining in the public pervice and wider state sector.  Graeme and his team advised and coached agencies on bargaining strategies, contractual matters, and disputes.  He was also responsible for the State’s engagement with State Sector unions and led the Government’s team to negotiate the second Partnership for Quality agreement. 

During his time as team leader at the Office of Treaty Settlements, Graeme was involved in developing negotiation strategies, liaising with departments on redress options, and conducting negotiations with claimant groups.  More recently, he managed the Native Title Unit in Victoria, Australia, again with an emphasis on developing constructive engagement approaches.

Graeme worked as Industrial Relations advisor to Helen Clark, when she was Minister of Labour and Deputy Prime Minister, advising on industrial relations issues and developing the employment equity legislation.  He also served for five years as assistant secretary and legal advisor to the Federation of Labour, advising them on legal and strategic industrial relations issues, and playing a leading role in major policy and industrial negotiations.