Industrial disputes

Avoiding industrial disputes

Employers should seek as far as possible to create a culture that prevents conflict arising. Grievances held by individual employees or groups of workers can lead to potentially heavy costs if they develop into litigation or industrial action. Good employee relations, especially communications, are key to creating a non-conflict environment.

Consultation and involvement

You need to keep open channels for keeping workers informed and involved. Depending on the size of the business, you could set up:

• a staff forum or joint working group to pass on information and collect ideas from workers
• an employee consultative body to discuss major issues as they arise
• regular consultations with a recognised trade union - an effective working relationship with trade union officials can pick up problems before they escalate
• team and group meetings and feedback sessions

Also important are clearly defined grievance procedures that have been agreed by elected representatives and/or by employees, which allow employees to voice their concerns before they develop into major disputes. See our guide on handling discipline and grievance issues.

The role of Acas in preventing disputes

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) is an independent statutory body whose role is to improve working life through better employment relations. In addition to dispute resolution, Acas offers advice and help to prevent disputes arising in the first place. It helps employers and employees to work together to resolve problems in the workplace before they develop into disputes.

Acas delivers workplace training  and runs small business workshops aimed at helping organisations adopt or develop better employment relations practices.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) Partnership Institute website offers a range of training programmes to help managers and employees develop new skills for partnership working. Find training programmes for managers and employees on the TUC website.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Avoiding industrial disputes
• Dealing with industrial disputes
• Effective negotiating
• Before industrial action takes place - legal issues
• During industrial action - legal issues
• Following industrial action - legal issues
• Trade union recognition
• Collective bargaining

 

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