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effectively with trade unions
Work effectively with trade unions

The role of trade unions and their representatives
Although trade unions look after the interests of their members, they
also recognise the advantages of working in partnership with employers.
This is because a successful, profitable business is good for workers
and therefore good for the union and its members.
An employer and a recognised trade union interact with the workplace in
a number of ways, as set out below.
Negotiating collective agreements
If you recognise a trade union in your workplace, you will probably have
agreed with the union to bargain with it about the terms and conditions
of employment of those workers who fall within a defined *bargaining unit*.
Sometimes, that bargaining unit will include all workers but it is
common for the unit to include just certain categories of worker, eg
production line operatives or technicians.

The objective of such collective bargaining is to conclude a collective
agreement with the trade union. Where an independent trade union is
recognised, the employer is obliged to disclose information to the trade
union to facilitate the bargaining process.
Download the code of practice on disclosure of information to trade
unions for collective bargaining purposes from the Acas website (PDF,
310K) <http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=957&p=0>.
A collective agreement is between a recognised trade union (or group of
unions) and an employer (or groups of employers). Most typically, they
set out the terms and conditions - eg pay, benefits and working time to be included in the employment contracts of the workers in the
bargaining unit. Other collective agreements are purely procedural and
regulate the working relationship between the union(s) and the employer(s).
A collective agreement isn't legally enforceable unless it:
* is in writing
* states that it's meant to be legally enforceable
In the UK, most collective agreements are not legally enforceable.
For more information on collective bargaining and collective agreements,
see our guide on recognising and derecognising a trade union
7&r.l2=1074207487&r.l3=1074020279&r.t=RESOURCES&topicId=1074436131>.
Informing and consulting
Under certain circumstances, you must inform - and consult with representatives of a recognised trade union about:
* collective redundancies - see our guide on making an employee
redundant
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* transfers of business ownership - see our guide onresponsibilities
to employees if you buy or sell a business
* occupational and personal pension schemes - see our guide: know
your legal obligations on pensions
* health and safety - see our guide on how to consult your employees
on health and safety
However, you could enter a voluntary agreement with a trade union to
inform and consult the union about broader business and workplace issues
on a regular, ongoing basis. The union may want to set up a joint
consultative committee specifically for this purpose.
For further information, see our guide on how to inform and consult your
employees
Representing workers at disciplinary and grievance hearing
Employees and other workers have the right to be accompanied at a
disciplinary or grievance hearing. They can choose to be accompanied by
a co-worker or a union official. Often, the union official will be a
workplace representative who is also a co-worker.
Non- and partly unionised workplaces
You may have to inform and consult other workplace representatives known as 'employee representatives' - where you:
* Don't recognise any trade union in your workplace.
* Do recognise a union (or unions) in your workplace but not all
your workers are represented by that union (or those unions). This
may be because they do not belong to the bargaining unit for which
the trade union is recognised.
See our guide on working with non-union representatives
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Subjects covered in this guide
* Introduction
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* The role of trade unions and their representatives
* The benefits of union recognition
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* Effective relations with union officials
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* Administering union subscriptions and payments into union
political funds
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Acas Helpline
08457 47 47 47
Actions
* Download representation in the workplace guidance from the Acas
website (PDF, 310K)
<http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=957&p=0>
* Download employee communications and consultation guidance from
the Acas website (PDF, 971K)
<http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=251&p=0>
* TUC guidance and information on the TUC website
<http://www.tuc.org.uk/the_tuc/index.cfm>
* The right to be accompanied at disciplinary and grievance hearings
advice on the Acas website
<http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=917>
* Use our interactive tool to work out what you need to do about an
application for trade union recognition
Also on this site
* Trade union membership rights
* Recognising and derecognising a trade union
* Inform and consult your employees
* Responsibilities to employees if you buy or sell a business
* Handling disciplinaries
* Handling grievances
* Making an employee redundant
* Know your legal obligations on pensions
* Working with non-union representatives
Developed with:
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Deal with conflict
*Work effectively with trade unions*
Introduction
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*The role of trade unions and their representatives*
The benefits of union recognition

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Work effectively with trade unions

production line operatives or technicians.

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Employment & skills

Work effectively with trade unions

The benefits of union recognition

Effective relations with union officials

Administering union subscriptions and payments into union political

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