The news that Acas staff are to strike in a row over pay is a) massively embarrassing for the service's management and b) deeply ironic.
As PCS union chief Mark Serwotka pointed out: "The failure of any pay offer and the lack of substantive negotiations have forced the very people who resolve industrial disputes into voting for strike action themselves."
But in an unexpected secondary irony, ex-Gate Gourmet HR director Andy Cook has offered his words of wisdom on the dispute. You may remember that Cook was in charge of HR at the airline caterer in summer 2005 when it all kicked off at Heathrow airport with the unions.
He now head up a specialist employee relations consultancy and had this to say: "It’s difficult to have faith in an organisation that can’t practice what it preaches.
"This row may further discredit the reputation and effectiveness of Acas, particularly in dispute resolution in this country," he said.
Caterer and Hotelkeeper's Kitchen Rat blog asks whether employers should be listening to a man who was at the centre of one of the most high-profile strikes in recent times. Xpert HR's Employment Intelligence blog offers a slightly more restrained view on the situation.
Acas management have insisted it is business as usual in the run up to action on 17 March. But this row is undoubtedly damaging to its brand and needs to be sorted ASAP.
Comments (1)
Not sure if it is ironic just more real life....the factor in all of this is human beings and even ACAS employees are human!
Posted by Scott McArthur | March 22, 2008 2:57 PM
Posted on March 22, 2008 14:57