The return of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB)
After more than a decade, the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is set to return, and it could reshape
If you have concerns or complaints about something that’s happened at work, it’s usually best to try to sort problems out informally. Talk to your employer, starting with your manager – or if they’re the cause of the problem, HR or another manager that you trust. If not suitable for dealing with informally, or matters are not resolved, you may need to raise a formal grievance.
A grievance meeting or hearing will be the meeting that takes place to consider your formal grievance. This is usually after prior informal attempts to resolve the problem have been unsuccessful.
At the meeting you can communicate your complaint in more detail, share written evidence and ask questions; your employer will also likely ask questions. You will be able to say what it is you want done about the problem; your employer may, reasonably, have already invited to you provide details of your desired outcome. It’s not meant to be an adversarial meeting with two opposing ‘sides’ and both parties should seek to understand and discuss the issues and see how they might be resolved.
After the meeting your employer should respond in writing and if your grievance isn’t upheld, they should tell you that you can appeal.
You can find out more about raising a grievance on the ACAS website.
There are very strict time limits for making claims to employment tribunals. You usually have just under three months to make a claim and will need to go through ACAS Early Conciliation first. So if you think you might need to take your employer to an employment tribunal, there’s no time to lose. You need to get expert advice.
If you’d like to meet one of our experts for a confidential, no obligation chat, please get in touch.
We have offices across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, but we can help you wherever you are in England and Wales.
Very good knowledge of the law. Practical advice given in client friendly and appropriate terms.
Our specialist employment solicitors can help you by:
drafting your grievance
briefing you on the process of the grievance meeting
advising on strategy and planning the key points you need to get across
helping you identify a companion for the meeting – who could be a union representative, or a friend or colleague
advising on an appeal against the decision, if your employer does not uphold your grievance and rectify the situation
advising you on how you might pursue a settlement agreement strategy for exit and enter into a “protected conversation” with your employer, if that’s what you ultimately want
taking your employer to an employment tribunal and other considerations; this is only if it cannot be resolved and you choose to do this; we will advise you on all the options.
After more than a decade, the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is set to return, and it could reshape
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If you’d like to meet one of our experts for a confidential, no obligation chat, please get in touch.
