It appears like we’re coming into the winter of discontent once more—whether or not it’s rail staff, nurses, lecturers and driving examiners, it might appear everyone seems to be taking strike motion as they name for pay rises consistent with inflation. Even ambulance staff are to carry their first strike for thirty years.
Whereas most employers will look to keep away from industrial motion, there could subsequently come a time in each unionized employer’s existence when such motion is threatened.
Good communication round strikes might be difficult
Companies or organizations making an attempt to handle communication round such strikes should steadiness the necessity to preserve constructive relations with employees and commerce unions, while on the identical time defending their enterprise. By way of inside communications, employers ought to have interaction immediately with workers and keep away from permitting conversations to be funneled via the commerce union with which they’re negotiating. This may assist to make sure that the communication precisely represents the employer’s present place. It might additionally forestall points from needlessly escalating via a means of Chinese language whispers.
With exterior communications, it may be trickier to regulate the narrative
There are some vastly efficient union representatives, together with RMT common secretary Mick Lynch, who’s arguably probably the most well-known union official and has proven himself to be a grasp communicator. Regardless of the disruption, Mr. Lynch has been capable of win over the general public and has been constantly praised by his supporters for his clear communication model and for getting one over his opponents with blunt politeness.
To be able to counter that, it’s necessary to be equally clear in your communications
It’s essential to make sure you get the fitting data out and throughout all channels—together with the media, your web site, social media channels. It’s key that wherever clients or stakeholders get their data they’ll discover it simply. The assertion ought to present clear element on how the strike will have an effect on stakeholders. It also needs to reassure all audiences affected that the employer is working collaboratively to resolve the difficulty as shortly as attainable.
With an growing variety of strikes deliberate, there’s a hazard that the general public change into desensitized to strike motion and zone out. The data you select to speak should subsequently be clear, concise and supply the knowledge that’s required—so if trains are cancelled, does it have an effect on all companies; if ambulance staff are on strike, what do you do within the case of a real emergency?
By offering this data as quickly as attainable you may take away a number of the uncertainty round deliberate strike motion and permit folks to make different plans the place attainable. It’s equally necessary that if plans change final minute and strikes are suspended or cancelled that you simply talk that shortly and clearly, to stop an data vacuum from creating.
