Anyone ever taking out a grievance against an employer or manager?

[lars]

It's a long story but dh has been advised by the union to take out a grievance against his area manager. Any tips or advice would be useful it's job another headache for me at the moment.

His area manager treats him unfairly and now he has stopped his extra rise, saying he needs more training, which is rubbish. This is not about performance but appears he doesn't like him because he is popular with his staff. larsxx

Message withdrawn

I work in HR and see it from the other side (non-unionised). I would expect the union to give full support at every stage - that is what they are there for Also the employer is likely to tread very carefully if the union is involved and they will not be able to ignore the problem.

If the HR/personnel department is any good, then it would be worth speaking to them before starting the formal procedure.

It is also worth thinking about the ideal end result - what does dh want from the grievance process? The pay rise, fair treatment in future, a move to another department, compensation?

Good luck. It may take perseverance to get the right result, but with union backing it is well worth doing.

The government's introduced a statutory grievance procedure that goes through all the steps an employer and an employee MUST do as a minimum. You can read through the guidance at www.acas.org.uk and the union will have something on their website as well.
As a rep I've helped colleagues take out grievances and you have to write everything down and keep records. It's also helpful if he can find someone else to back him up or support what he's saying. It will take a lot of him so he really will need your support but sometimes it's the only thing you can do as it lays down a marker for the future.
Good Luck to your H and all the best.

I'm currently going through one myself (in fact just been in the first stage meeting and am still shaking 3 hours later). Document everything. Is there any written reason he has been refused a payrise? On what grounds does the manager justify him needing any extra training? Has he failed to meet any performance indicators? Were any set? Get copies of his performance reviews or support and supervision sessions. Make sure he does NOTHING without union support. And make sure he is very clear in his mind exactly what he wants as an outcome of the proceedure.

Good luck