GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Dealing with grievances informally

If you have a grievance or complaint to do with your work or the people you work with you should, wherever possible, start by talking with your manager/supervisor. You may be able to agree a solution informally between you.

Formal Grievance

If the matter is serious and/or you wish to raise the matter formally you should set out your grievance in writing to your manager. You should stick to the facts and avoid language that is insulting or abusive. 

Where your grievance is against your manager and you feel unable to approach him/her you should talk to another manager or Antoaneta Tsocheva.

Grievance Hearing

Your manager will call you to a meeting, normally within 5 days (or possibly longer if more time is needed to investigate your complaint) to discuss your grievance. You have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative at this meeting if you make a reasonable request.

A grievance will be looked into in a fair and unbiased way. The main purpose of the meeting will be to try and establish the facts and find a way to resolve the problem. We will normally go through the issues that have been raised and give you an opportunity to comment. Notes of the meeting and copies of any information given by other people will be provided. 

We may need to investigate further after that meeting before we can give you a decision. As soon as we are in a position to provide you with a decision you will be notified promptly of the decision made and right to appeal if not satisfied. Our decision will usually be given to you verbally at a meeting but will also be confirmed in writing to you. 

Appeal

If you are unhappy with the decision and you wish to appeal you should let your manager know. You will be invited to an appeal meeting normally within 5 days, though this may be longer if needed, and your appeal will be heard by a more senior manager or by Antoaneta Tsocheva. You have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative at this meeting if you make a reasonable request. 

The appeal hearing will be similar to the original meeting. After the meeting we will give you a decision, normally within 21 hours. This decision is final. 

Next review due: October 2018