Procedures to Deal with Disputes

Joining a union Types of disputeTypes of industrial actionResolving a dispute

…employer and employee rights and responsibilities, including procedures to deal with disputes and addressing industrial disputes and health and safety issues in relation to the organisation in question.

Craft Unions – supports skilled craftsmen, e.g. Musicians’ Union

Industrial Unions – grew from traditional heavy industrial e.g.

Union of Shop, Distribution Workers (USDAW)

General Unions – usually semi-skilled and unskilled workers e.g. GMB

White Collar Unions – people working in clerical jobs e.g. UNISON

Types of Trade Union

Why Unions? To provide a valuable

communication link between management and the workforce

Individual employees do not need to negotiate

A strong union may encourage management to take workers needs seriously

What is a dispute? Disciplinary disputes

Grievance disputes

Industrial disputes

These can be

collective or

individual!

Overtime bans members refuse to work overtime Picketing

Members stand outside the firm

StrikesMembers withdraw

their labour

Go-slowCarry out work slower

than normal

Work-to-ruleMembers follow their

job description

Sit-insMembers occupy

buildings to publicise their

protest

Industrial Action

How do you resolve a dispute?

InternallyDisciplinary procedureGrievance procedure Externally

Employment tribunalACASEuropean Court of Justice

Task: What would you advise?

An able male employee, who has worked for a company for 12 years, has never been

promoted, whereas several female colleagues with far less service have been.

An employee has complained because he has been placed in the same section of the factory

as his ex-wife.

What have you learnt… Employees can join a union to look their

needs. Three main types of dispute:

Disciplinary Grievance Industrial

There are different types of industrial action

There are internal and external ways to resolve a dispute