Question 1

What does a union representative actually do?

Accepted Answer

Represents members in dealings with their employer — individually in disputes, and collectively in negotiation — with specific **statutory rights** that make the role more than informal support.

**The individual role, which is what most members encounter:**

**Accompanying a worker** at a disciplinary or grievance hearing. **This is a statutory right** — a worker may be accompanied by a trade union representative or a colleague, and the employer must permit it. The companion may address the hearing, put the worker's case, sum up and confer with them, though they may not answer questions on the worker's behalf.

**Advising on rights and procedure**, frequently the most valuable function, since procedure determines outcomes more than merits do.

**Negotiating on individual issues** before they become formal.

**Referring to the union's legal service** where a claim may exist.

**The collective role:**

**Collective bargaining** over pay, hours and conditions, where the union is **recognised** by the employer. Recognition may be voluntary or obtained through a statutory procedure where sufficient support is demonstrated.

**Consultation** on redundancies and on transfers of undertakings, where employers have legal duties to consult representatives.

**Health and safety**, where appointed safety representatives have distinct statutory rights to inspect, investigate and be consulted.

**Learning representatives**, with rights relating to training.

**Their legal protections:** reasonable **paid time off** for duties and training, and protection from **detriment or dismissal** for trade union activities. Dismissal for trade union membership or activities is automatically unfair, with no qualifying service required.

**What representatives are not:** lawyers, though many are highly experienced in employment procedure; and not able to compel an employer to agree.

**Where there is no recognised union:** you may still be a member and be accompanied by a representative, and in some situations **elected employee representatives** must be chosen for consultation purposes.

**Joining after a problem arises** is possible, and unions commonly apply a waiting period before providing representation on pre-existing matters — which is why joining before you need it is the practical advice.

General information, not legal advice.

Question 2

What is a settlement agreement and when is one offered?

Accepted Answer

A settlement agreement is a legally binding contract in which an employee agrees to waive their right to bring claims against the employer, usually in exchange for a payment. It was formerly called a

Question 3

How does a grievance procedure work?

Accepted Answer

The formal route for raising a concern about your employment with your employer — and although the procedure itself is not directly enforceable, following it matters because failing to can reduce

Question 4

What is the difference between a job description and a person specification?

Accepted Answer

The job description describes the role; the person specification describes the person who could do it. They answer different questions, and reading them as one document is why applications miss the

Question 5

How does an employment tribunal claim work?

Accepted Answer

A specialist tribunal hearing claims about employment rights — less formal than a court, with its own procedure, and governed by very short time limits that end more claims than any argument about

Question 6

What is industrial action, and what makes a strike lawful?

Accepted Answer

Collective action by workers to put pressure on an employer — and in the UK it is lawful only where a detailed set of statutory requirements has been met, any one of which can render it unlawful. The

Question 7

What happens at an occupational health referral?

Accepted Answer

It is an assessment to advise the employer on your fitness for work and what adjustments might help — not a treatment appointment, and not a disciplinary step, though it frequently feels like one

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