Two-thirds of employers have never used mediation to settle workplace disputes , research has found. Research by law firm Dundas & Wilson (D&W) found only 36% of HR professionals had used the tactic to tackle conflict at work. This foll  More...
10 June 2008 08:02

What action can an employer legally take when a dispute escalates into industrial action? There is no right to strike under English law, but you wouldn't know it judging by the number of industrial actions over the past few months. Schools have bee  More...
16 May 2008 00:00

Oil refinery staff at Grangemouth have returned to work as union members prepared to re-enter negotiations with employers in the wake of a 48-hour strike. Emergency fuel supplies are being shipped into Scotland following the industrial action by  More...
29 April 2008 14:09

Statutory dispute resolution is soon to be abolished which should be good news for employers... shouldn't it? Q I hear the statutory dispute resolution procedures are to be repealed after being in force for less than three years. What are they  More...
08 April 2008 14:43

So, we're all about to start using mediation, are we? Well, yes - if we are to get on board with new employment legislation. Yes - if we could be sure that it's going to solve more problems than it creates. But before we get carried away with mediat  More...
12 March 2008 16:15

British Airways pilots have agreed to conciliation with an independent third party to help resolve a dispute over the airline's plans to launch a standalone European subsidiary. BA plans to set up Open Skies in June to provide direct flights   More...
21 February 2008 17:55

Acas , or the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is an organisation which aims to improve working life through better employment relations . Acas provides information, advice, training and works with employers and employe  More...
20 February 2008 13:32

News of the clampdown on unnecessary tribunals could not have come soon enough. The number of employment tribunal cases rose from 115,039 in 2005-06 to 132,577 last year. And with the exception of race discrimination, all areas had an upward  More...
11 February 2008 11:57

Acas chief Ed Sweeney has insisted the service will rise to the challenge of growing demand from employers when the statutory dispute resolution procedures are scrapped next April. The government last week announced an extra £37m funding for the a  More...
11 February 2008 08:00

Business secretary John Hutton is to clamp down on unnecessary employment tribunals by throwing millions of pounds at conciliation service Acas. The government has today awarded Acas £37m to help prevent workplace disputes unnecessarily going to emp  More...
06 February 2008 10:21

The BBC and its unions have reached an agreement in principle over plans to axe 1,800 jobs over the next five years. BBC director-general Mark Thompson announced the plans in October 2007 as part of a cost-cutting drive in response to a funding s  More...
28 January 2008 16:30

Human resources news and analysis including: a look at what 2008 has in prospect for employers the first major tribunal outcome of the year - a heterosexual employee has won damages regarding her sexual orientation a new government cam  More...
04 January 2008 13:35

Unions representing workers at BAA have called off the threat of strike action in a row over pensions. The Spanish-owned company, which runs seven UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick, has backed down on its plans to close its final salary pe  More...
03 January 2008 15:41

Police will be balloted as to whether they want the Police Federation to lobby for their right to strike, it emerged yesterday. Police officers held an emergency meeting to consider whether they should take action to gain the right to strike amid the  More...
13 December 2007 09:44

The government has published legislation which aims to simplify the much-maligned statutory dispute resolution procedures, but details of a proposed new system have yet to emerge. The Employment Bill responds to the Gibbons ReviewILS of dispute re  More...
07 December 2007 14:48

Postal workers have backed a deal that finally ends the long-running dispute with Royal Mail . The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said its members voted by 64% in favour of an agreement, and will now receive a pay rise of 6.9% over two years  More...
27 November 2007 16:48

The arbitration and conciliation service Acas saves employers, employees and the taxpayer almost £800m a year, according to a new report. A study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that every pound of taxpayer money inv  More...
15 November 2007 13:01

Not allowing emotions to cold your commercial judgement is vital when dealing with disputes. Dispute resolution is an ongoing problem for UK companies. And as human resources professionals are only too aware, disputes can be hugely disrup  More...
12 November 2007 10:40

Conflict and confrontation often occur together. Neither is very pleasant, but both are part of our working and home lives. These tips can be used for either scenario. There are differing views on the best way to manage conflict, but there is consen  More...
02 November 2007 00:00

The deal to end the ongoing and bitter postal dispute between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has been agreed. The union's postal executive has endorsed a deal aimed at ending the row over pay, working practices and job los  More...
23 October 2007 09:42