Former MP, Secretary of State, and Head of Union of Communication Workers Alan Johnson, along with Professor Sian Moore and Susanna Newing, discuss strikes and their resolution. They explore the impact of strikes, negotiations in Coventry, the bitter strike at British Airways, the importance of negotiation in ending strikes, disputes and inequality in the NHS, and reaching negotiable agreements.
Negotiation is crucial in resolving strikes and preventing them, with a focus on compromise and balancing demands.
Escalated actions and hostile approaches, such as decapitation by employers, can hinder resolution processes and undermine negotiations.
Deep dives
Strikes and Their Resolutions
Strikes and their resolutions are the focus of this podcast episode. The host explores the dynamics and patterns of how strikes come to an end, with the question of whether the process can be accelerated. Input from guests with experience in unions and strikes sheds light on the topic. Alan Johnson, former MP and Communication Workers Union leader, recounts his involvement in a strike over pay. Susanna Newing, Chief People Officer at Coventry City Council, shares her experience dealing with a strike by refuse workers over pay and working conditions. Professor Shann Moore provides insights into a notable striking group, British Airways cabin crew, highlighting issues of diversity and a protracted dispute over labor rights and conditions. The episode examines negotiation as the primary means to end strikes and the importance of listening, creativity, and delivering on agreements to reach resolutions.
Negotiation and the Role of Balancing Demands
Negotiation emerges as a key theme in resolving strikes, allowing for compromise and balancing demands. Guests highlight the importance of negotiation in preventing strikes altogether and effectively managing conflicts. The conversation emphasizes the role of negotiations in achieving fair and satisfactory outcomes for both employees and employers, noting the impact of strike ballots and how they affect compromise. The significance of listening, understanding, and addressing concerns through negotiations is highlighted. The episode also underscores the value of external arbitrators, like ACAS, in facilitating dialogue and moving towards resolution.
The Escalation Arsenal and the Impact on Resolutions
The podcast delves into the impact of escalated actions and hostile approaches on the resolution process. The case of British Airways cabin crew strike provides insights into the tactical use of measures like decapitation by employers, involving sacking key activists to create fear and undermine a union's position. The episode explores the delicate balance between standing firm and escalating action as a negotiating strategy and the repercussions it can have on reaching favorable resolutions. The importance of maintaining communication channels and avoiding entrenchment is highlighted as essential for preventing protracted disputes and fostering productive negotiations.
Challenges Faced in Strikes and Workers' Resilience
Challenges faced during strikes and the resilience of workers are explored in this episode. Examples from strikes in various sectors, such as postal services, refuse collection, and rail transport, demonstrate the complexities of issues like pay, working conditions, equal pay, and the impact of external factors like inflation and austerity measures. The conversation touches on the change in the composition of unions, with an increasing number of female members and diverse professional workers engaging in industrial action. The episode highlights the need for fair treatment, addressing job security, and recognizing the value of workers' contributions as essential elements in reaching resolutions that are acceptable to both parties.
Current strike action across the UK led to more than a million lost working days in 2022, the worst industrial strife the nation has experienced since the 'Winter of Discontent' in the 1970s. But with the benefit of hindsight, what can we learn from those who have dealt with labour relations in the past, and can their insights help to establish a better way of working out employee grievances?
Evan Davis and guests discuss.
GUESTS
Alan Johnson, former MP, Secretary of State and former Head of the Union of Communication Workers.
Professor Sian Moore, Professor of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management and Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Employment and Work (CREW), University of Greenwich
Susanna Newing, Chief People Officer, Coventry Council
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Julie Ball and Marianna Brain
Editor: China Collins
Sound: Gareth Jones and Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill
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