On August 20, the sixth lecture of the"2020 Global Anti-Epidemic, Return to Work and Labor Relations Lecture Series "was held online. It was hosted by our university and co-organized by the Labor Relations Branch of the China Society for Human Resources Development. Greg Bamber, president of the Australian Labor and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) and professor of Monash University Business School, was invited to deliver a lecture entitled "The Impact of Pandemic on Australia's Industrial Relations Policy and Labor Market: Different Perspectives of Government and Labor". Mr. Wang Jing, Secretary General of the Labor Relations Branch of the China Society for Human Resources Development, and Professor Shi Meixia from the School of Economics and Management of Beijing Jiaotong University attended the lecture. The lecture attracted more than one hundred experts, scholars, teachers and students from both inside and outside the university. The lecture was presided over by Secretary General Wang Jing.

In the concluding speech, Secretary-General Wang Jing pointed out that Professor Greg Bamber's lecture was clear, informative and far-reaching, with strong pertinence and guidance. Through this lecture, the audience not only had a deeper understanding of employment and labor relations, but also had constructive guidance for disciplinary development and research in the future. She said that the epidemic has had a worldwide impact. It not only threatened the lives and health of people around the world, but also had a tremendous impact on the socio-economic development of countries globally. In response to the epidemic, countries must strengthen communication and cooperation so that they can respond effectively to the Public Health Emergency of International Concern(PHEIC).

In the lecture, Professor Ban Bai started from the research results of "International Comparative Study of Employment Relations: National Regulation and Global Change" (Sixth Edition) and combined with his scientific research and teaching experience. His focus was on the role of the government, employers and labor unions in the employment relationship. He introduced the background of employment relations in Australia from the historical, economic, social and political aspects. Taking the impact of the epidemic on the Australian Labor Market and economy as the starting point, he analyzed the real situation of Australia's GDP growth rate, enterprise confidence, wage growth, labor force participation rate with detailed data. He noted that in the face of recent forest fires, COVID-19 and the potential economic crisis, the Australian Federal Government, employers and unions have responded with a range of targeted initiatives, including city closures, travel bans, unemployment benefits, job creation and the promotion of flexible employment. He believed that these initiatives have generally played a significant role in anti-epidemic and economic recovery, but there have been some controversies and unsolved issues. Bamber said that by analyzing the hotel industry, elderly care facility, airline industry, building industry, and education industry, the epidemic has affected different industries with different policies and practices. He also analyzed the trend of employment-labor relations and labor market in the post-epidemic era from both macro and micro level, and proposed a new theoretical framework and topics for international comparative research in the future.

During the discussion, Professor Shi Meixia expressed her appreciation for Professor Ban Bai's wonderful lecture and her gratitude to our school for holding lectures and providing learning and exchange opportunities. She agreed with the measures taken by the Australian government, employees and employees in expanding the scope of unemployment insurance, creating employment opportunities, stimulating and restoring the economy. Also, Professor Shi shared her view in the trend of employment relations, eight hour working system, work style, and flexible employment.

During the interactive session, Professor Xie Yuhua from the school of Business Administration of Hunan University conducted in-depth discussions with Professor Bamber on specific measures taken by Australian enterprises in response to the epidemic.

Greg Bamber is the president of the Australian Labor and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) and a professor at the Monash University School of Business. He has ever studied at the University of Manchester, London School of Economics and Political Science and Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh. He has been engaged in research projects at Oxford University, Warwick University and Imperial College; He is the research director of the Business School of Durham University, director of the Strategic Management Centre of the Australian Research Council at the Queensland University of Technology, and Dean of Graduate School of Management at the Griffith University.He is a lifetime researcher at the Australian and New Zealand School of Management and the first editor of the famous book "International and Comparative Employment Relations". In October 2019, he was invited to attend the 70th anniversary celebration of our university.

(International Exchange and Cooperation Office (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Office))