A trade unionist and a charity chief have been appointed as board members of the Labour relations Agency.
Albert Mills and Pauline Shepherd have been appointed as employee members for a period of three years.
Mr Mills was chairman of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU) Officers Negotiating Committee for Great Britain and Ireland, and played a major role during merger talks between ATGWU and Amicus to create Unite the Union.
Ms Shepherd is currently the interim chief executive with Extern, a large all-Ireland charity working directly with people affected by social exclusion. From 2005 to 2011, Ms Shepherd was the human resource director for NI Water with responsibility for developing and implementing the company HR strategy.
Both Mr Mills and Ms Shepherd will bring employment relations experience to the work of the LRA Board, coupled with an understanding of dispute resolution from both an employee and an employer perspective, as well as a keen awareness of the importance of good employment practice.