AWICS offers management consulting for trade unions.
Trade unions often find themselves in discussions or negotiations with employers where financial issues are important. For example, management will argue that changes to staffing levels or conditions of employment are required for financial reasons; or that externalisation of services would result in financial advantages. In these cases it is important that the trade union can mount a robust challenge to the business case. However, this can be difficult without the support of a management consultant with business and financial expertise.
Adrian Waite has had experience in management / staff negotiations in local government and in housing associations both as part of the management team and as part of the trade union team. He is therefore well placed to provide this assistance.
Examples of assistance that AWICS has provided follow:
Fleet Management
A local authority reviewed its fleet management arrangements and proposed that the vehicle maintenance service should be externalised. The trade unions involved commissioned AWICS to assist. We reviewed the Council's business case for the externalisation and identified that it had significant weaknesses. We also prepared an outline business plan for the in-house vehicle maintenance unit that demonstrated that it was financially viable (with some changes) and had the capacity to expand. The trade unions used the AWICS report to argue that the in-house vehicle maintenance unit should be retained and expanded. As a result, the Council abandoned its externalisation proposals for fleet management and reviewed its entire approach to in-house and external provision.
Adult Social Care
A trade union made a significant claim for minimum wages and holiday pay against a private provider of adult social care. The provider argued that they would not be able to afford to settle the claim for cash flow reasons. The trade union commissioned AWICS to analyse the company's accounts and to advise on whether the company could afford to pay. AWICS established the company's financial position and demonstrated that it could afford to meet the claim. The union's full-time official commented that our report was:
"Very much appreciated and by the way I've used extracts from your report and they are flumuxed as to how we have - you - found out their operations."
Among our trade union clients are UNISON and UNITE.
For more information about the assistance that we can provide trade-unions please contact Adrian Waite at adrian.waite@awics.co.uk or 017683-51498.
AWICS offers managemet consulting advice to trade unions.