Conference Programme
The New Normal: Employment Law in Asia Pacific in 2023
Please note that the below is a preliminary conference programme and subject to change. Information corrects as of 1 June 2023.
All conference sessions will take place in the Kinabalu Room | Level 3
Thursday 8 June 2023
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Conference Registration (Kinabalu Room Foyer / Level 3) |
| 09:00 – 09:30 |
WELCOME REMARKS & OPENING CEREMONY
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| Opening Address: Moderator: Mr Roger Chin, President, Sabah Law Society | MALAYSIA The Right Honourable Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Rahman Bin Sebli, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak | MALAYSIA |
| 09:30 – 10:30 | SESSION 1: Keynote Address: Focus on Malaysia Moderator: Ms Keat Ching Wong, Partner, Zul Rafique & Partners | MALAYSIA
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| 10:30 – 11:30 | Morning Networking Coffee Break (Kinabalu Room Foyer / Level 3) |
| 11:30 – 12:30 | SESSION 2: Keynote Address: Focus on India Moderator: Mr S.S Naganand, Senior Partner, JUSTLAW Advocates; Executive Committee Member, LAWASIA | INDIA
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| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch (Café Tatu / Ground Level) |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | SESSION 3: Is the Old Eroding? Are the Separate Categories of Employees and Contractors Still Appropriate? Workforce contractual boundaries in many jurisdictions have long depended on the distinction between contracts of service and contracts for services: employee or contractor. The status and relevance of this distinction have been tested by several factors, including the role of labour hire contractors and the gig economy with wide-ranging implications. Speakers will present perspectives from a range of jurisdictions. Moderator: Mr Alex De Silva, Senior Partner, Bodipalar Ponnudurai De Silva Advocates & Solicitors | MALAYSIA Speakers:
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| 15:00 – 15:30 | Afternoon Networking Coffee Break (Kinabalu Room Foyer / Level 3) |
| 15:30 – 17:00 | SESSION 4: Employment Law and Commercial Law: M&A and Liability Insurance: Important Crossover Issues The interface between employment law and commercial law often raises important issues about employment rights and obligations, but these can be easily overlooked when the primary focus is on commercial issues. M&A and liability insurance issues are two that can arise frequently. and in this session speakers will address these two important issues. Moderator: Ms Keat Ching Wong, Partner, Zul Rafique & Partners | MALAYSIA Speakers:
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| 17:30 – 19:00 | WELCOME RECEPTION (Sunset Beach) Stand-up networking function |
Friday 9 June 2023
| 09:00 – 10:00 | SESSION 5: Keynote Address: Artificial Intelligence, and the New Normal for Employment Law Moderator: Mr Amirali Nasir, Vice President, The Law Society of Hong Kong | HONG KONG
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| 10:00 – 10:15 | Morning Networking Coffee Break (Kinabalu Room Foyer / Level 3) |
| 10:15 – 11:30 | SESSION 6: The Complexities of Employment Law Reform It often happens that a lengthy process culminating in law reforming legislation does not immediately result in practical changes to the rights and obligations of individual employees and their employers. Legislative change can be followed by a lengthy implementation process and in practice there can be resulting delay before the changes take practical effect. This session will be led by a case study from India examining the complexities of implementing legislative reform, and with speakers providing comment and perspectives from other jurisdictions. Moderator: Mr Bernard Banks, Chair, LAWASIA Employment Law Committee | NEW ZEALAND Speakers:
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| 11:30 – 14:00 | Lunch (Tanjung 2 & 3 / Level 2) |
| 14:00 – 15:15 | SESSION 7: Employment Law – The Interface with Social Security Termination of employment and redundancy especially when they are followed by unemployment or retirement, can have devastating economic consequences for employees and their families. Redundancy compensation, pension entitlements, social security and welfare entitlements can become vitally important. This session will examine the interface between loss of employment and the available economic entitlements in a range of jurisdictions in our region. Moderator: Mr Bernard Banks, Chair, LAWASIA Employment Law Committee | NEW ZEALAND Speakers:
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| 15:15 – 15:30 | Afternoon Networking Coffee Break (Kinabalu Room Foyer / Level 3) |
| 15:30 – 17:00 | SESSION 8: Working from Home: Some Complex Issues Working from home had become an increasingly attractive option in some industries in recent years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it became even more attractive and sometimes a necessity during the pandemic. It does however give rise to some complications and issues that do not arise where work is employed at the employer’s workplace. This session will address a range of these issues, including supervision, flexible working arrangements, employer requirements and employee (and contractor) preferences whether to work at home, confidentiality issues, fidelity and the problem of ‘moonlighting’. Moderator: Mr Roger Chin, President, Sabah Law Society; Vice Chair, LAWASIA Corporate Securities & Investment Committee | MALAYSIA Speakers:
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Saturday 10 June 2023
| 09:00 – 10:30 | SESSION 9: Artificial Intelligence: Wide Ranging Implications for Employment AI has given rise to fundamental changes in the workforce and the trend of increasing availability of AI is likely to continue to give rise to further new issues for employment rights and obligations. This session will focus on a range of issues resulting from the availability of AI including issues of who bears responsibility, workplace disruption, and the wider implications for employment security especially during high unemployment. Moderator: Mr Amirali Nasir, Vice President, The Law Society of Hong Kong | HONG KONG SAR Speakers:
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| 10:30 – 11:00 | Morning Networking Coffee Break (Kinabalu Room Foyer / Level 3) |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | SESSION 10: Endemic Issues: Panel Discussion on Important and Ongoing Problem Issues Including Mental Health, Workplace Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment This concluding business session will feature a panel discussion on current issues which remain endemic across the workforce in many jurisdictions. Despite increased awareness and ongoing focus on these problems, lawyers in many jurisdictions are all too aware that they remain endemic in many workplaces. Panellists will provide updates on addressing the problems of mental health issues, workplace discrimination and bullying and harassment. The session will provide an opportunity for comment from registrants and questions to the panel. Moderator: Ms Selvamalar Alagaratnam, Partner, Skrine | MALAYSIA Speakers:
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| 12:30 – 12:45 |
CLOSING REMARKS
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