Trade Union & Work Council Lawyers
People are the lifeblood of most businesses and keeping your employees happy should always remain a top priority for you.
Unfortunately, disagreements can happen from time to time. Being prepared to negotiate with a trade union or works council will help to avoid costly industrial action and foster lasting partnerships between all parties.
Our trade union solicitors help to smooth the path for meaningful discussions, negotiations and collaboration where possible. Not only does this make ‘people sense’, but it also makes financial and reputational sense too.
"I am proud to be seen by my clients as being approachable and personable, providing supportive, timely responses. I am a people person and love the human element of employment law"
Tom Long
Partner
Sector-specific advice on trade union disputes
Having worked with companies in highly unionised sectors, such as education, healthcare, manufacturing, work councils and rail, our team of trade union lawyers has the experience and expertise your business requires.
Our deep, sector-specific knowledge ensures that we deliver effective solutions with no time or money wasted.
Our resourceful and untiring team will help you to forge sensible and functional relationships with trade unions to ensure that the continuity and success of your business are protected.
Why choose Shakespeare Martineau?
Some companies opt to tackle negotiations with trade unions and work councils on their own without the support of trade union solicitors. However, working with Shakespeare Martineau offers clear benefits to your business:
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Without specialist help, handling trade union relations can be stressful, complicated and fraught with emotion. The knowledge and experience that we have gained from working through such scenarios mean that we can deal with issues of unionisation across the country, freeing up time for you to focus on other matters.
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Sometimes there is a need to play hardball, and we always have your business interests in mind. Having dealt with trade unions across many sectors, we understand the way they operate and how they negotiate. Dealing with a trade union is not always easy and we can support you, even on the toughest of topics.
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With your people being integral to the successful running of your business, it is important to make sure that you are building strong relationships with your recognised trade unions; if relationships don’t work or are dysfunctional, disputes may arise. We take time to understand the needs of your workforce, helping to prevent disputes and industrial action that could cost the business good money, goodwill and good staff.
The way we help you
We help employers to make the most out of their dealings with trade unions and work councils. Our understanding of how they work and insight into the issues that may arise, ensures that we can support you and your HR teams on agreements, consultations and appropriate courses of action.
In practice, this can include anything from negotiating voluntary and statutory recognition, to collective bargaining and disputes over terms and conditions of contracts. Whatever the nature of the trade union issues your company is facing, get in touch today to learn how we can help.
Your journey through the legal process
To enable us to address issues with your unionised employees as quickly and effectively as possible, we’ve streamlined the process of engaging us as your trade union lawyers. We’ve outlined the steps involved below to give you complete transparency:
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The first stage is to get in touch with us using button below – you will be assigned to a member of our trade union and work councils team (alternatively, call us on 0330 024 0333).
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Within an hour, you will receive a call from one of our specialists to ascertain the nature of the union disputes you are facing and advise on how we can help.
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We provide you with a breakdown of our costs – if you would like to partner with us, we then send you a pack of onboarding documents.
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After this, our team will be committed to supporting you through any union-related disputes between your organisation and its employees.