Collinson Grant

Employee relations

We help clients to get the best out of people. They can never work efficiently if they don’t know what they are supposed to be achieving, or what the priorities are. Workers need to be properly informed, motivated, rewarded and recognised. Then they will perform. Our work on managing people dovetails with our approach to Organisation and Costs. We get these factors in harmony so that businesses can stay profitable and prosper in the long term.

Good employee relations require effective management. We help organisations to improve relationships at work and deal with difficult circumstances

Negotiating and consulting with trades unions

We support clients by:

negotiating directly with unions, including last year the NUJ, Amicus, GMB
costing and planning pay reviews, and preparing negotiating tactics
helping them to consult on redundancies and transfers of undertakings
establishing consultative mechanisms that fulfil legislative requirements and the needs of the organisation.

Working practices and collective agreements

Job demarcations, rigid manning levels or limited flexibility often constrain efficient ways of working. We help organisations to recognise and implement improved business processes. This might involve:

the introduction of new working methods
training programmes
behavioural change
revised terms of employment
new procedural agreements.

Balloting and industrial action

We help organisations to avoid industrial action. But if it is threatened, the employer must understand the options available for protecting the business. These might include:

ensuring that ballots are properly conducted
initiating legal challenges to strikes and other industrial action
in extreme circumstances, managing dismissals during official and unofficial action

Recognition and de-recognition of trades unions

The law governing the recognition and de-recognition of trades unions is complex and runs the risk of employee relations problems.

Our advice in these matters is based on wide experience of HR and operational management. We help clients to achieve their desired outcome without disruption to the organisation.

Managing redundancies

Our experienced HR team has managed many redundancy programmes in the public and private sectors.

We plan the communication, timing, cost and legal compliance. We develop criteria for selection and prepare for consultation with representatives and individual employees.