Working Positively With Trade Unions

Bernie McCardle

Description

We all want to get the best out of any relationship we have be it at work or at home. Just trying hard does not guarantee results. To be successful we need to clear approach and plan. This book uses a unique relationship MAP that helps you identify the current state of your relationship and then offers help to move through the three key stages. The book can be used as a complete set of chapters that offer an overall view of employee relations or you can select individual chapters to enhance skills that currently need development. It will take you through the history of trade unions as well as the law around their role. There are chapters on the MAP and how to utilise it as well as the negotiation and consultation process. You will see how to build effective relations that will be useful in discipline and grievance handling.

Sujets

• Movimiento sindical
• Trade union

Informations

• Publié par: Brown Dog Books
• Date de parution: 26 novembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785453571
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Frst published 2018
Copyright © Bernie McCardle and Tony Weightman 2018
The right of Bernie McCardle and Tony Weightman to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Published under licence by Brown Dog Books and The Self-Publishing Partnership, 7 Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB
www.selfpublishingpartnership.co.uk
ISBN printed book: 978-1-78545-356-4 ISBN e-book: 978-1-78545-357-1
Cover design by Kevin Rylands
Printed and bound in the UK
Dedication
We would like to dedicate the book to those people who have supported both of us throughout the process mainly our wives, Susan and Tracey. They have acted as proof readers, mentors and more than anything else have just listened when we needed to off load our progress and ideas. The inspiration for the book has come from Bernard McCardle Senior who we both know so well. Bernie has to thank him for being a great father and mentor whilst Tony recognises him as a perfect role model for a full-time trade union officer who was true to his word, reliable and professional in his approach. He has offered input and support throughout the process and we could not think of a more worthy person to be associated with in this project.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. A brief history of Trade Unions
3. Trade Unions and the law
4. The MAP and how to succeed
5. Building engagement with Trade Unions
6. The role of the Line Manager
7. Building a positive relationship with the shop steward
8. Consultative meetings and process
9. The negotiation process
10. Discipline and grievance handling
11. Shop steward training
12. Dealing with difficult situations

Appendix
1. How to control nerves
2. Corridor meeting process
3. Grievances Do’s and Don’t’s
4. Disciplinary and grievance phrases
5. McCardle and Weightman MAP
6. MAP Questionnaire
7. MAP Profile
8. Worked example of group mean
9. Major exercises
10. Trade Union Quiz answers
Chapter 1:
Introduction
Managing Trade Unions
I n the 1970s and 1980s most line managers and Human Resource professionals had experience of working with trade unions as it was an integral part of day to day working life. Getting the best out of this relationship and keeping the business on course was the territory of a number of skilful people. Such skills are now regarded as almost a forgotten art.
This is mainly due to the fall in trade union membership and a more strict form of employment legislation. This new type of legislation has made it more difficult to take strike action and operate a closed shop. These had been two sacrosanct aspects of trade unionism for many years and had led to more difficult situations for employers who want to make significant changes to the way they work.
In the last fifteen years there has been a level of trade union membership that is lower than for many years and declined significantly from the 1980s before stabilising around 2011. The need for the specialist skills of working with trade unions has been lost as most companies have relied too much on the lawyers and a much less forceful trade union.
In more recent years we have seen more and more line managers and HR professionals having to work in a new type of environment where they need to deal with a more active and in some cases a resurgent trade union. Most of these managers have not been shown or trained in the necessary skills to get positive resolutions whilst developing effective working relationships. The old hands who practised the forgotten art are mainly retired and therefore unable to help or pass on their knowledge.
This book has been designed to fill that knowledge and skill gap. By using real situations we can explore how best to manage trade unions to gain a win/win outcome and drive the organisation forward.
The book draws on the experience of two practitioners who have been actively involved with managing trade unions in different types of organisations. Their experience can be used to act as the missing sounding board that the old hands would have provided.
The book’s approach is to focus on long-term relationships rather than try to get short-term gains. With such a focus you can develop a positive non-adversarial approach which will give both parties an opportunity to develop and understand each other’s views and perspective on given issues.
You can use this book as a total experience and gain from every chapter. This will cover the history of trade unions through to the different skills that can be applied in specific situations such as pay negotiations or discipline. There is special reference to building effective working relationships which can lead to greater engagement and a better working atmosphere. We have developed a MAP process for use in identifying where your current relationship lies with your trade union. This will assist you in developing a route forward to enhance your joint working relationship.
The area of managing the local shop stewards explores this critical relationship, before looking at areas of working together. These areas include meetings, consultation and dealing with difficult situations. The area of shop steward training will also be addressed.
You can also use the book as a reference source to refer to when required. In this way you can select the chapters that are relevant to your current situation. There will be a number of checklists, quizzes and diagrams to help relate the content of the book to your workplace. The MAP approach can be applied in any given situation at work and will assist you in developing the long-term relationships you desire. Feel free to use these practical aids and be honest with yourself when using them. In this way you will get the maximum benefit for yourself and the organisation.
We believe this book will help those managers and Human Resource managers who want to be seen as professional in their dealings with trade unions but lack the experience of working in this arena. The practical approach in the book relates to real situations and good working practices. It also uses some common sense approaches and practices which will help the manager use some of their already honed current skills in their dealings with trade unions.
We have attempted to cover all the areas that are relevant to most organisations so that you will be able to relate to the content when looking at your work situation. We may not have all the answers to all of your questions but we have tried to offer a number of approaches that have worked in different organisations. By considering these approaches you will have new alternatives to apply back at your work place. The more options you consider, the better the eventual solution is likely to be.
Take your time to look at each chapter and what it can offer you and your organisation. Try to use an open mind approach to the concepts and look at how you can apply or amend these to fit the situation you face. By using the MAP approach you will be able to track your progress in developing effective working relationships. This will assist you in putting the correct amount of effort into the right areas that matter to your working relationships.
We want you to succeed and go on to feel even more confident when dealing with trade unions. This can be achieved by taking your time to find the right approach and address the correct issues to take you forward together and help you to feel you are making solid progress.
Appendix 9 will contain copies of each of the major exercises. This will allow you to re-run them at a later date. It can also act as a reference of the main points.
Each chapter has a summary of key points at the end. This will act as a great reminder to the casual reader or a confidence boost to the less experienced manager. We hope you enjoy your journey through the world of trade unions. We hope you feel the content is practical enough to assist you in developing even better relationships with your trade union members. Good Luck
Chapter 2:
A Brief History of Trade Unions
Introduction
W hen you join a new company, you tend to research how they have performed in the past and identify their values and mission. This enhances your knowledge and understanding and makes you more confident about making the decision to join. When you arrive, you will want to know what has gone on in the past so you are aware of the history and what has worked and what has created difficulties. This helps you to settle into the job and allows you to understand why certain things happen. This will make sense to most people as we want to succeed in what we do and be accepted. We want to be accepted as quickly as possible as it helps us to contribute in the right way. For most people this is not difficult.
Our Induction gives us most of this information. We get the rest of the information by asking relevant questions. The same is true for a business when they get a new client. It is essential to quickly understand your client’s needs and expectations and to get to know as much as you can about them, their values, their history, etc. It is important to establish they will be able to pay for the goods or services supplied. At the end of the day there is no point in dealing with organisations who cannot pay for what you have delivered.
Building Your Knowledge Base

This sort of research is quite normal and the better our research is the more informed and knowledgeable we become and the better chance our business has to succeed.
We should apply the same approach to dealing with trade unions. Working with trade unions is ultimately about relationships and, as is the c