Some months ago, after various union leaders visited 10 Downing Street to put their trenchant views across with regard to public/private partnership, Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight asked them after the meeting had ended what they were given to eat and drink. I was struck by how few people, beyond those who could remember government efforts to negotiate with the unions over beer and sandwiches during the 1970s, would understand the point of Paxmans culinary inquiry.
But it is very dangerous for the press to overplay the union militancy story. For some years, responsible employers have been working extremely hard with the TUC and many trade unions to cement a true partnership. While such a concept can seem somewhat tenuous indeed Andy Gilchrist, general secretary of the fire brigades union (FBU), tells Human Resources magazine that the partnership model is almost always fatally flawed it is worth fighting for. Mick Rix, general secretary of the train drivers union, Aslef, stresses that his members want to work for a successful employer and that employers have to recognise that their key resource is a happy workforce, a workforce that is contributing and pleased to contribute. On the other hand, critics such as Tony Travers of the LSE believe recent Aslef/RMT strike action is driven by greed.
As I wrote this, the RMT/Aslef strike planned for 12 October had been called off but what is clear is that HR directors and managers may need to brush up on their negotiating skills. To help you understand the people across the negotiating table we talked to Mick Rix and four other new trade union radicals: Andy Gilchrist of the FBU, Mark Serwotka of the PCSU, Ed Sweeney of the UNIFI and Billy Hayes of CWU. We have also attempted to provide some key negotiating tips.
Nothing beats practical experience though and for this issue we interviewed four leading HR directors who have survived major M&As. They tell us what the experience taught them.
Morice Mendoza
Editor
