Collective Grievance

When a group of employees would like to raise the same concern(s), this will be treated as a Collective Grievance. A collective grievance will be dealt with broadly in the same way as an individual grievance as stated above, with a few key amendments.

Employee representatives will be nominated to raise a grievance on behalf of a group of employees. The representatives will be responsible for representing the interests of all employees wishing to raise the grievance. They will attend all meetings, and for consistency, should be the same individuals throughout the process.

The maximum number of representatives allowed will depend on the total number of employees wishing to raise the collective grievance:

• If between 2 and 10 employees raise the grievance, a maximum of 2 representatives will be allowed
• If between 11 and 20 employees raise the grievance, a maximum of 3 representatives will be allowed
• If over 20 employees raise the grievance, a maximum of 4 representatives will be allowed

Upon raising a collective grievance, the grievance letter must be signed by all employees wishing to raise it. It must also state who the nominated representatives are and confirm that all employees are happy to be represented by them.

The grievance hearing will take place with the nominated employee representatives. A record of the meeting will be made available to all employees involved in the collective grievance.

All employees who have raised the collective grievance will receive a copy of the outcome.

The outcome of a collective grievance can be appealed if more than half of employees are not satisfied with the result. Some examples for lodging an appeal are as follows:

• There has been an error in the process
• You can highlight an error in the gathering or consideration of the evidence
• Any other substantive reason

The appeal letter must be signed by all employees wishing to raise the appeal and again must state who the nominated representatives are and confirm that all employees are happy to be represented by them. An appeal hearing will be held with the nominated employee representatives, and the outcome sent to all employees raising the appeal. The outcome of the appeal will be final. 

The timescales associated with a collective grievance will be similar to when dealing with an individual grievance. We expect that the full process be completed within 3 months from the grievance initially being raised. However, there may be times where this is not possible due to the availability of witnesses, or employee representatives. All employees will be kept up to date with the grievance progress and informed of any delays.