Building and maintaining constructive industrial relations

Effective industrial relations are built on relationships.

In a changing educational landscape, trust leaders need the skills and confidence to engage openly, communicate clearly and work constructively with employee representatives, particularly when navigating complex issues and differing perspectives.

This masterclass series explores how relational leadership can strengthen industrial relations across trusts. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the current context, learn practical approaches to meaningful engagement, and develop strategies for maintaining constructive dialogue through both routine discussions and periods of challenge.

Who is it for?

Trust executive leaders: CEOs, COOs
Directors of people and HR

What you will gain

This course will give you:

An understanding of the current industrial relations landscape across schools and trusts together with a picture of emerging trends.
Practical ways in which you can assess the current level of risk – including, how to spot the signs of a more adversarial approach by staff representatives.
An adaptable framework to build constructive industrial relations and avoid disputes, including a range of resources and advice on how to deploy them across your trust and the schools within it.
Ways to embed relationships as part of the infrastructure of your trust.
Numerous case studies and real-life experience from leaders who have successfully navigated their organisations through choppy waters.

Course overview

The primary focus of this Masterclass is to help trusts build strong, effective relationships and structures that will enable constructive industrial relations to flourish. It will draw upon on recent experience across several schools and trusts to share what has worked and, in some cases, why things have gone wrong.

This masterclass will help trusts at the start the industrial relations journey, those who want to maintain and build on already harmonious industrial relations, and those who are experiencing difficulties who want to avoid or resolve disputes.

Seminar 1: Trends, risks and a positive framework

The industrial relations landscape in schools and trusts, and emerging patterns
An understanding of union campaigning models
Early signs of potential disruption and the consequences of downplaying it
Case studies that highlight positive examples of effective intervention and lessons learnt from disputes

Seminar 2: Relationships, structures and engagement

The pros and cons of different approaches to union relationships and how to find the right fit for your setting
How to promote harmonious industrial relations that draws representatives and staff towards dialogue and joint problem solving
Creating and controlling the narrative of effective staff engagement and the importance of powerful and judgement free communications
Raising awareness with school leaders across your trust about how they can respond in different scenarios

Seminar 3: Resolving disputes and re-building afterwards

Developing your strategic understanding of a dispute and the information you need
Strategizing ahead of any negotiation to end a dispute – building your team and your response
The mechanics of dispute resolution, who to engage with and how to do it from your opening offer through to final settlement
Different approaches to negotiation and how to get past intransigence
Structuring your communications to ensure messages get through to the right people, at the right time, in the right way
How employers have rebuilt trust and confidence after a dispute

Course leaders

Carl Parker

Industrial relations specialist

Emma Hughes