Mediation and Conciliation in Collective Labor Conflicts in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The Case Employment Relations in Scottish Refinery-Background In 2008, 1200 workers at one of the Scottish oil refineries held a 48-h strike. Employees, members of a large trade union, were seeking to protect their existing pension scheme. The company's majority shareholder came to terms with the trade union. In October 2013, he halted production (initially as a safety measure preceding strike action) and additionally initiated a lockout even after strike action had been called off. Furthermore, he bypassed the union by offering individual employees deals capitalizing on their fear of losing their jobs. Position of Parties Involved-A Historical Overview Two key disputes, involving the same stakeholders, emerged in this specific organizational context. In 2008, the trade union claimed that the company had already reduced its contributions to the pension scheme by introducing financial penalties for early retirement. The existence of a non-contributory pension scheme was due to the lower salaries-employees made £6000 a year less than workers in other refineries did. The changes proposed by the company would have further reduced members' payouts by an average £10,000 a year. In 2013, the union was caught off guard during a dispute involving a former union organizer. A third of the union members individually agreed to terms that included no strikes for three years, no further full-time union conveners, a one-time £15,000 payout and an enhanced employer contribution to the pension scheme in return for acceptance of worsening terms and conditions of employment in the coming years.

The use of commercial mediation as alternative dispute resolution tool in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia

“…In countries in the developed world, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, or even Belgium, various forms of mediation have been used in labor disputes for nearly 70 years (Potocnik et al, 2019). Today, four different models have emerged in the European Union.…”