Working in Partnership with the Trade Unions

About this event

The session will focus on a wide range of topical employee relations issues and challenges facing employers in 2024 and the years ahead.

The session will focus on a wide range of topical employee relations issues and challenges facing employers in 2024 and the years ahead. Key areas of discussion will include some useful insights into the current employee relations landscape, the role of the Trade Unions (past, present and future), views regarding the reasons for increases in conflict in the workplace and some top tips for engagement, consultation and negotiation.

The panel session will focus on some key themes:

1. Working Lives Scotland reports highlighted

a. Decline in ‘employee voice’

b. 28% of workforce affected by conflict in the workplace

2. Role of the Trade Unions – how has this changed over the last 5 years and what might the next 5 years bring?

3. How to maintain positive employee relations in a volatile and uncertain environment

4. Top tips for better engagement, consultation and negotiation

Marek Zemanik, Senior Public Policy Advisor, CIPD UK Nations

Marek leads the CIPD public policy work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, focusing primarily on fair work, skills and productivity. He writes the CIPD annual job quality report, Working Lives Scotland, and has written several policy and research reports around skills and the labour market in the devolved UK nations. He provides evidence to Parliamentary and Assembly committees, responds to government and executive consultations and inquiries and engages with ministers and civil servants.

Before joining the CIPD, Marek spent nearly a decade working at the Scottish Parliament as a political adviser responsible for policymaking across devolved areas of public policy. He has written several election manifestos, dozens of policy papers and coordinated a series of independent policy commissions.

David Smith, EIS Local Association Secretary for Aberdeenshire

David’s current role as EIS Branch Secretary involves offering advice, support and occasionally representation to approx. 2900 Aberdeenshire members across 170 plus schools. He is also LNCT Joint Secretary for Aberdeenshire, which involves engaging with the employer on areas of formal local negotiation and representing all teaching unions on a number of forums and working groups as required.

David was primary teacher at Borrowfield, Montrose, and then Depute Head Teacher at Crieff and Laurencekirk before taking on Head Teacher position at St Cyrus in 2001 for 15 years.

Irene Bruce, Head of ESA, Employment & Skills, OEUK

Irene joined OEUK in 2021 to manage, facilitate and administrate the newly established Energy Services Agreement ESA. The collective bargaining agreement sets out minimum terms and conditions of employment for over 5000 offshore workers employed across 16 companies. Working with three trade unions and employer companies, Irene created, negotiated, and implemented the ESA to help maintain positive employee relations across the North Sea as the sector evolves through the energy transition. Irene’s role encompasses employment and skills, and she leads implementation of the People and Skills element of the North Sea Transition Deal. This includes retaining the industry’s talented workforce, while enabling people to transfer skills to other energy sectors as well as leading diversity and inclusion initiatives. Irene previously held senior HR roles for International Paper, Wood and the Offshore Contractors Association

Marina Glasgow, Chief Conciliator, ACAS

Marina joined ACAS in 2001, having previously spent almost two decades with the Ministry of Defense, in both the UK and overseas. She has extensive experience in the field of dispute resolution through her work in conciliation, in addition to being an accredited trainer, facilitator, mediator and qualified MBT practitioner.

Marina was appointed as ACAS first female Chief Conciliator in 2022 to promote greater engagement with a wide range of stakeholders to better understand how ACAS can assist with the prevention and resolution of workplace disputes. workforces to meet challenging times and changing demands.

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