Task 3, an email to CEO

Task 3 – Email to CEO Write an email to the CEO of REBU outlining the:

· similarities and differences between various employee bodies including union and non-union forms of employee representation (4.2)

· main provisions of the statutory recognition procedures relating to collective employment law including official and unofficial action. Include a evaluation of substantive and procedural agreements relating to collective bargaining and how this could work within REBU. (4.1 & 4.3) Your evidence must consist of: Email to the CEO of approximately 500 words (+ or – 10%).

4.1 Explain the main provisions of collective employment law.

4.2 Compare the types of employee bodies, union and non-union forms of employee representation.

4.3 Evaluate the purpose of collective bargaining and how it works.

For Task 3, you need to write an email to your CEO, and this activity, again, will also be discussed in Video 2.

he third task requires you to write an email to the CEO of REBU,outlining the similarities and differences between various employee bodies, including union and non-union forms of employee representation. Your outline will include also the main provisions of the statutory recognition procedures relating to collective employment law, including official and unofficial action. You also need to include an evaluation of substantive and procedural agreements relating to collective bargaining and how this could work with REBU.

The first section of Task 3 links to Assessment Criterion 4.2. Before we start, remember that your audience is your CEO, who is unlikely to be an expert in the topics addressed here. So you should explain these topics in a professional yet simple language. The command verb here is ‘to compare’, which involves identifying and explaining similarities and differences between two or more concepts. The topic is employee representation, so you could start this section by explaining to your CEO what employee representation is.

Briefly, it is the right employees have to seek an individual or body, such as a trade union, to represent them when negotiating issues such as hours, benefits, wages and working conditions. You should then go on to mention the employee bodies of those recognised for the purposes of employee representation and bargaining collectively.

The bulk of your answer should be in the next section, where you need to identify one union and one non-union employee body. Identify and explain their key features (two at least of each).

And two similarities and two differences between the two. Non-union employee representative bodies include: European consultative bodies, pension representatives or representatives of employee safety. Examples of union employee representative bodies you can discuss are unions such as Unison or Unite. The last two Assessment Criteria of the task are addressed in this section. These are 4.1 and 4.3.

For 4.1, you need to explain the main provisions of collective employment law in regards to statutory recognition of trade unions.

You will need to explain the key provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Consolidation Act 1992. The act consolidates all law relating to collective labour relations. That is, to trade unions, employers associations, industrial relations and industrial action.

The recognition process is lengthy and complex, and you’re not expected to cover it all or in great detail. But you do need to explain what party makes the initial request and to whom? What options does the employer have? What happens in the trade union request is rejected?

The next section should include a brief overview of official and unofficial action. Official industrial action is authorised or endorsed by unions. Conversely, unofficial industrial action is that which is not recognised by the union. Or if the union then repudiates the action, it becomes unofficial.

To address Assessment Criterion 4.3, you need to start by defining collective bargaining. Collective bargaining is when an employee works with unions to discuss changes to employees’ terms and conditions. The substantive part will relate to the content of the bargaining.

That is the terms and conditions employees and trade unions agree to negotiate with the employer. These will usually include things like pay, holiday and working hours.

The procedural element of collective bargaining refers to the process of how the collective bargaining will be conducted, and includes things like: who will represent the workers, when and how often meetings will happen, what to do if more than one union is recognised, and what to do if the union and employer cannot come to an agreement.

Once you have provided an overview of these issues, you need to explain how all this can work with REBU. At this stage, I invite you to remind yourself of the case study and in particular the characteristics of REBU as an organisation and the issues we would need to address.

Then consider how can REBU benefit from recognising trade unions? What are the disadvantages of trade unions’ recognition for REBU? If unions were recognised, what issues may give rise to collective bargaining?

Lastly, what do you think REBU should do? You could go further here and conduct some independent research. There has been some really interesting development in this area and you can enhance your answer by referring to this in your answer.

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoyed the record and for Tasks 2 and 3. If you have any questions, please do reach out to your tutor.