Bernard McIlhone

Bernard has specialised in employment relations for more than 20 years. Representing and working with both unions and employers, he has acquired a sound practical and legal understanding of employment legislation, collective bargaining, dispute management and union/employer partnership relationships.

More recently he has worked as a consultant representing both unions and employers. To this role he brings extensive experience in how employees and unions think, and operate, in a bargaining and employment relationship problems framework. Bernard has applied his experience to his work with the Partnership Resource Centre in a variety of projects, including working with Plastics New Zealand and the EPMU on a skills progression project and facilitating a project at the Port of Tauranga with C3/Maritime Union of NZ and the Rail & Maritime Transport Union, where the parties have committed to create a best practice employment relations strategy, and supporting practices.  He has also researched and written case studies in the meat inspection and pulp mill industries, designed to describe in practical terms how employers and unions can co-operate and work together to achieve outcomes based on mutual gain.

Bernard provides HR support to Gunns Veneers, a Christchurch based manufacturing employer, and training for Bright Star in communicating and negotiating with unions.

As a past director of Industry Training Organisation, Competenz, he has excellent knowledge of industry training and the practical implementation of NZQA linked industry training and development programs for employers. More recently Bernard has been involved in an experimental joint venture between the Industry Training Federation and the Department of Labour, working with eight different manufacturing enterprises to make changes to improve company performance.

Bernard’s focus as a consultant is on using positive, solution-based approaches to resolve employer/employee relationship problems.