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. Meaningful collective consultation includes but is not limited to the following: • 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. Mutual benefits of meaningful consultation includes but is not limited to the following: • 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.
