Employee Relations and Grievances

Employee Relations and Grievances

Maintaining positive employee relations is vitally important to the smooth running of, and the ability to achieve successful outcomes within, all education establishments. 'Employee relations' defines the employee-employer relationship and can be just as much about the informal climate in the workplace as formal consultation mechanisms through representative groups and unions.

Working with a range of unions is an everyday reality in the education sector where their purpose is partly industrial (protecting the rights and living standards of their members) and partly political (as a consultation partner of the government over education policy, as campaigners and lobbyists).

Employee relations is also about the employment relationship with individuals, however. Where problems at work are not dealt with quickly and effectively they will often result in grievances being raised or staff reporting concerns about the suspected wrongdoing of others (whistleblowing).

What's in this topic collection:

This topic collection contains guidance, information and resources on various aspects of managing employee relations, including union recognition and collective bargaining, industrial action, employee grievances and whistleblowing. It also covers the legal requirement to report annually on trade union facility time which applies to most publicly-funded education establishments that employ more than 49 FTE employees.

Forthcoming legislative Changes: Check off arrangements in the public sector May 2024 

The provisions of the Trade Union Act 2016 are expected to come into force on May 9 2024 following implementation of the Trade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations 2023.