Nathan Keats

Nathan is an accredited specialist in Industrial and Employment Law. He has over 25 years of experience as an employment lawyer advising unions and employees in the private and public sectors as well as small to medium size corporates. He is the co-chair of the Employment Law Committee of the Law Society of NSW and the NSW solicitor representative on the Employment and Industrial Relations NPA User Group.

Nathan is a skilled and strategic lawyer with extensive experience in workplace investigations, employment contracts, restraint of trade, employment in the NSW Public sector, industrial disputation, and the interpretation of awards, enterprise agreements and union rules.

Below is a selection of Nathan’s achievements:

• Obtaining salary increases of between 19% and 35.85% over 3 years for approximately 18,000 non-teaching staff in NSW Public Schools under the equal remuneration principle;
• Obtaining salary increases for NSW Public servants between 2008 and 2017;
• Establishing that the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW has jurisdiction to hear and determine claims by injured workers seeking reinstatement after they have received a common law settlement for their injury;
• Representing research academics to defeat allegations of research misconduct;
• Obtaining exclusive coverage of field officers in the Kosciusko National Park for the Public Service Association of NSW;
• Assisting the CFMMEU in parliamentary inquiries into shipping
• Representing the CFMMEU in defending a multi-million dollar claim for compensation by a third party arising from an industrial stoppage at the Australian Marine Complex in Western Australia. Not a dollar in compensation was paid by the union.
• Amalgamating unions;
• Representing the master of the rivercat ‘Pam Burridge’, in relation to the Coronial Inquest following the collision of the ‘Pam Burridge’ with the motor cruiser ‘Merinda’ on Sydney Harbour near the Sydney Harbour Bridge. No adverse findings were made against the master;
• Establishing that employees do not waive their penalty privileges by commencing unfair dismissal applications;
• Establishing that the Commonwealth was liable for the sex discrimination of Ms Elliott by her employer, Dr Nanda.