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ER Lead – Trade Union Relations
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About The Role ER Lead – Trade Union Relations
ER Lead – Trade Union Relations
Tower Hamlets Council is seeking an experienced interim ER Lead with deep specialist experience and knowledge in negotiations and consultation with trade union representatives in local government. This role holder will need to work at pace to address long-standing disputes and failures to agree between parties by proposing professionally informed, evidenced-based, and pragmatic solutions to reach satisfactory resolution to the Director of HR&OD.
ER Lead – Trade Union Relations
Alongside this, the post holder will lead on a number of complex, high-level ER cases ensuring that these reach timely resolution in line with the Council's policies and procedures. This role will also include developing Standard Operating and decision-making approaches that achieve consistency and compliance across all ER activities to reduce case work escalation and ensure adherence to policies, procedures, and the ACAS codes, working with colleagues in HR&OD to build competence and embed continuous improvement, playing a key role in strengthening and modernising employee and industrial relations across the Council.
This is a high-profile role that requires a skilled trade union negotiator and employee relations professional who can operate confidently in a complex, unionised, fast-paced environment working alongside services and with legal colleagues to ensure constructive relationships and partnership working, effective consultation that drives positive workforce outcomes and employee relations.
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Key Responsibilities ER Lead – Trade Union Relations
- Build and maintain effective, professional, and collaborative trade union relationships.
- Create workflows, standard operating procedures, and compliance/quality checks that ensure ER is managed effectively, consistently, and in line with core policies and legislation.
- Lead and coordinate formal consultation and negotiation activity across the organisation.
- Support major organisational change, transformation, and restructuring programmes.
- Work with senior leaders to develop effective employee and industrial relations strategies.
- Ensure compliance with collective consultation requirements and employment legislation.
- Manage the resolution of complex and high-level ER issues, disputes, and industrial relations matters at pace.
- Provide expert advice to managers and HR colleagues on consultation, negotiation, and employee relations.
- Identify organisational risks and opportunities relating to workforce and union relations and be accountable for the plan to manage these.
- Promote early resolution approaches and proactive partnership working.
- Contribute to the development of employment policies, procedures, and workforce initiatives.
- Monitor trends, issues, and emerging risks across employee and industrial relations activity.
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Experience Required ER Lead – Trade Union Relations
We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate:
- Significant experience of line managing Trade Unions.
- An experienced trade union negotiator who has significant experience of reaching solutions on matters of dispute.
- The ability to work at pace and with initiative to reduce disputes compliantly in a way that maintains positive relationships with trade unions.
- Significant experience working within employee relations, industrial relations, or workforce relations in a public sector environment.
- Experience leading engagement with Trade Unions in a large and complex organisation.
- Proven experience supporting organisational change and consultation processes.
- Strong knowledge of employment law, collective consultation, and industrial relations practice or trade union legislation.
- Experience advising senior leaders on complex workforce matters.
- Experience formal negotiation and consultation with Trade Unions with the ability to influence in challenging and politically sensitive environments.
- Strong understanding of employee relations risk management.
- Experience developing positive stakeholder relationships across multiple groups and interests.
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