2. CCMA Dispute Resolution Conference John Taylor Acas Chief Executive

3. ACAS Established 1975 Aim: “Improve organisations and working life through better employment relations”

4. ACAS Acas’ role is to: prevent or resolve disputes between employers and their workforces settle complaints about employees' rights provide information, advice and training encourage people to work together more effectively

5. Way Back Then 1970s Attempts to regulate collective bargaining Industrial Relations Act Right to statutory TU recognition Acas statutory role to promote collective bargaining Peak of Union membership Winter of Discontent Fall of Labour Government All change under Mrs Thatcher

6. Then and Now Union Membership Density 55% Collective Bargaining 9 out of 10 workers Union presence private sector 66% 28.4% and fell from the previous year by the largest amount for a decade Private Sector less than 1 in 5 Covered 21% 1978/92006/7

7. Then and Now (cont.) Multi-employer bargaining extensive Industrial action in 25% of Workplaces in 1980 Law – Voluntarism accepted reliance on union and management resolution All but disappeared in the private sector 3% of workplaces 2004 (but signs of growth since then) Over 60 individual rights jurisdictions National Minimum Wage

8. Individual action: Employment Tribunal claims, 1972–2006

9. Collective action: Stoppage days, 1960–2006

10. Structural changes Perceptions of job insecurity fuelled by outsourcing, off-shoring and employment fragmentation Changing workforce pattern – gender, age, nationality Changing working patterns due to 24/7 society Growing influence of ICT Growing income inequalities, concern over vulnerable workers, but minimum wage effective

11. Structural changes (cont) Emergence of super unions – UNITE etc

12. Economic and political forces at work Globalisation, world market, credit crunch, reliance on inward investment EU requirement on government expenditure and competition policy Credit crisis – manufacturing employment and production

13. Future Business Challenges: Recruitment and retention : ‘engagement’ Managing ‘diversity’ Managing continuous change Closing the productivity ‘gap’ (which affects services as well as manufacturing) Making the most of the workforce’s potential – ‘human capital’

14. Future Challenges for HR/TUs – three ‘systems’ of employment relations? ‘Knowledge worker’ (highly individualised) – pressure to continuously improve productivity ‘Private services’ (highly individualised) – need to raise standards/move up ‘value’ chain/protect vulnerable workers ‘Public services’ (highly collectivised) – need to manage change/conflict

15. Future challenges from Global recession Handling redundancies Managing expectations (less for everyone) Managing pay negotiations (not always easy for managers and TU reps used to negotiating in a more benign economic climate)

16. Acas’ role going Forward Respond to Gibbons review of workplace dispute resolution Greater focus on ADR New code of practice on discipline and grievance Improved helpline (885,000 calls now, 1.3 million planned) Expansion of pre-claim conciliation Up to £37 million in funding Greater focus on mediation services Boost professionalism of collective conciliation Acas Model workplace diagnostic tool

17. A New Age of Employment Relations? 1960’s and 1970’s “The Age of Enforcing Rights Collectively” Win – Lose 1980’s and 1990’s “The Age of Enforcing Rights Individually” Win - Lose 2000 + “The Age of Resolving Issues and Maintaining Relationships” Win - Win