"eyes and ears along the coast"

 

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

 

1.0 PURPOSE

1.1 Anybody working in an organisation may at some time have problems or concerns about their work, working conditions or relationships with volunteers and colleagues that they wish to talk about with the Board of Trustees.

 

1.2 This procedure must be followed to take further action when detailed informal discussion (and follow up where appropriate) has failed to resolve a grievance.

 

1.3 This procedure applies to all volunteers of Coastwatch Scotland Irvine (hereafter CWS) and is the mechanism to raise official complaints with the charity.

 

1.4 All volunteers have the right to have grievances addressed by CWS.

 

The requirement is to follow three key steps:

(1) put it in writing;

(2) meet and discuss; and

(3) appeal.

This procedure explains in more detail how grievances will be followed up for both staff and volunteers

 

 

2.0 PRINCIPLES

2.1 CWS expects great efforts will have been made to resolve grievances at an informal level before using this procedure. Volunteers should aim to settle most grievances informally with the Chairperson of the Trustees (hereafter Station Manager). This has advantages for all parties, particularly where there might be a close personal relationship between a manager and a volunteer. It also encourages problems to be settled quickly.

 

2.2 If a grievance cannot be settled informally this procedure aims to ensure that any grievance is settled fairly, consistently and speedily, and as near to the point of origin as possible.

 

2.3 Any volunteer approached by a colleague to accompany them on any grievance matter should be confident that CWS welcomes their involvement and contribution.

 

2.4 CWS will ensure there is no unreasonable delay in following

 

 

3.0 RAISING A GRIEVANCE

3.1 Volunteers should normally raise a grievance with the Station Manager.

 

3.2 If a volunteers complaint is against the Station Manager the matter must be referred to the Board of Trustees. In such cases at least two Trustees must not have any involvement in the initial proceedings but should remain impartial pending any later appeal.

 

3.3 The Board of Trustees will appoint a responsible person (usually another Trustee) to assess whether the grievance is valid and propose what actions should be taken.

 

3.4 A grievance must normally be raised within 21 working days of the incident to which it refers, unless there is a good reason for not doing so.

 

3.5 The Station Manager or Board of Trustees (Section 3.2 refers) will deal with all formal grievances raise

 

 

4.0 GRIEVANCE MEETINGS

4.1 These meetings are not the same as a disciplinary hearing. A grievance meeting is where discussion and dialogue may produce a constructive outcome with, if appropriate, a shared action plan.

 

4.2 On receiving a written explanation of the grievance, the Station Manager will invite the volunteer to a meeting as soon as possible, usually within five working days. They will be advised about their right to be accompanied (by another volunteer) of their choice or an advisor.

 

4.3 The meeting will not take place unless the volunteer has informed CWS about the grievance and CWS has had a reasonable time to consider the response to that information.

 

4.4 A time and place for the meeting will be agreed with the volunteer. If their representative cannot attend on a proposed date, they can suggest another date. This date must suit everybody involved. The new date must not be more than five days after the date originally proposed by CWS.

 

4.5 The volunteer will be allowed to explain their complaint and say how they think it should be settled. They may call witnesses to support their claim. Witnesses may be questioned by those conducting the interview.

 

4.6 Both the complainant and their representative have the right to speak at the meeting.

 

4.7 After the presentation of the grievance, the person conducting the interview may put questions in order to clarify any outstanding issues. The person hearing the grievance will then set out their response and if that person reaches a point where they are not sure how to deal with the grievance, the meeting may be adjourned in order to obtain advice.

 

4.8 If either party has reasonable grounds for thinking that they are at serious risk of violence or intimidating behaviour, the full grievance procedure does not have to be followed. This exemption to the grievance procedure will only apply if the Station Manager or other Trustee on hearing the grievance, or the individual, believes that they will come to some serious physical or mental harm; that their property or some third party is threatened; or that the other party has subjected them to harassment. In this situation, a request can be made to have the grievance heard by an appeals panel made up by two other members of the Board of Trustees not already involved in the process.

 

4.9 CWS Board of Trustees will respond in writing to the individuals grievance within a reasonable time, usually within five working days. The letter will include a summary of the key points discussed and an action plan. When areas of dispute remain, the letter will identify any outstanding points where agreement was not reached. The notification will also include a reminder of the right to and how to appeal as outlined at section

 

5.0 below. A review meeting may be necessary at a future appropriate date, to confirm if the actions agreed have been satisfactorily undertaken.

 

4.10 On receipt of the grievance the Station Manager should ask the member or members involved to stand down from duties to avoid any possible contact within the workplace.

 

5.0 APPEAL

5.1 If a volunteer says they are unhappy with the decision after a grievance hearing, this must be confirmed in writing to the Station Manager except as in 5.2 below.

 

5.2 If the volunteer is a Trustee whose grievance has been heard by the Station Manager an appeal will be made in writing to another named Trustee.

 

5.3 The appeal should normally take place within 5 working days of the request. CWS will arrange an appeal panel consisting of the Station Manager plus (if possible) two Trustees who have not been previously involved with the grievance.

 

5.4 At the same time as inviting the individual to attend the appeal, CWS will remind them of their right to be accompanied/represented at the appeal hearing.

 

5.5 As with the first hearing, CWS will write to the volunteer with a decision on their grievance as soon as possible. They will also be informed that the appeal hearing is the final stage of the grievance

 

6.0 KEEPING RECORDS

6.1 Records will be kept detailing:

 

(a) the nature of the grievance raised;

(b) CWS response;

(c ) action taken;

(d) reasons for action taken; and

(e) whether there was an appeal and, if so, the outcome.

 

6.2 Records will be treated as confidential and kept in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1998 and 2003, which gives individuals the right to request and have access to certain data.

 

6.3 Copies of meeting records will be given to the volunteer, although in certain circumstances (for example to protect a witness) CWS might withhold some information.

 

 

7.0 IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW

7.1 All volunteers will either receive a copy of this procedure or be advised how to obtain a copy.

 

7.2 This procedure will be reviewed within 36 months of adoption.