Collective Consultation. Post Office and the CWU jointly commit to meaningful and timely collective consultation which is an essential component of successful organisational change and good employee relations. It improves the quality of the outcome of decisions by ensuring they work in practice. Other than in exceptional circumstances that are outside the control of the business, consultation should commence as early as possible when proposals are being formulated and developed. Collective consultation should be undertaken with a view to reaching agreement. Consultation must be timely with management providing sufficient information to allow CWU representatives to prepare and formulate an opinion, submit it to management and receive management feedback on that opinion. • The business’s economic situation • Employment prospects • Proposals likely to lead to substantial changes in work organisation or contractual relations of CWU grade employees with a view to reaching agreement. • organisational performance: time spent communicating at the outset of a new proposal, project or development can minimise subsequent rumour and misunderstanding • management performance and decision making: allowing employees and their CWU representatives to express their views can help managers arrive at sound decisions that are more readily accepted by employees • employees’ performance and commitment: employees and their CWU representatives will perform better if they are given regular, accurate information and feedback • levels of trust: discussing issues of common interest can engender better employee and industrial relations • job satisfaction: employees and their CWU representatives are more likely to be motivated if they have a good understanding of their job and how it fits into the organisation as a whole • work-life balance: Post Office and CWU have shared commitment to developing flexible working policies, practices, and promotion of employee wellbeing by agreement.
Collective Consultation. 3.2.1 Where the steps outlined in section 2 fail to remove the potential redundancy situation, and the College proposes to dismiss employees as redundant, for the purposes of collective consultation the College will provide recognised trade union representatives with the following information: • the reasons for the proposals. • the number and description of employees whom it is proposed to dismiss as redundant. • the total number of employees of that description employed at the College. • the proposed method of selecting the employees who may be dismissed. • the proposed method of carrying out the dismissals with due regard to any agreed procedure, including the period over which the dismissals are to take effect; and • the proposed method of calculating the amount of any redundancy payments made to employees who may be dismissed.
3.2.2 The College will engage in consultation with recognised trade union representatives on the above; and the representatives will actively engage in the consultation process with the College, with a view to reaching agreement about ways of: • avoiding the dismissals. • reducing the number of employees to be dismissed; and • mitigating the consequences of the dismissals.
3.2.3 This will include regular meetings and consideration of the steps outlined in paragraph 3.2.5 below.
3.2.4 In attempting to avoid compulsory redundancies, consideration will be given to the appropriateness of the following measures on each occasion that a redundancy situation arises: • Trying to make financial savings in other areas. o Ceasing or reducing the use of temporary workers, e.g., hourly paid and agency o Ceasing or reducing overtime o Freezing pay o Inviting employees to retire o Short-term working – reducing the hours of work for a temporary period o Lay-offs – suspending paid work for a temporary period and paying statutory minimum payments • Reduction of staff levels by natural wastage • Redeployment to other parts of the organisation (this may include conducting skills audits and, where necessary, providing training) • Reduction or elimination of overtime working. • Restricting or freezing of external recruitment. • Restricting or freezing the engagement of external contractors and agency staff. • Offering staff, the opportunity for flexible working including reducing hours, part- time/term time only working and job share. • Career breaks and unpaid leave, or secondments. • Seeking alternative funding, e.g., where funding for a particular p...
