Introduction
Handling union relations in 2026 will bring significant new challenges and many employers and managers are unprepared.
One poorly handled recognition process or negotiation could cost your organisation significantly more than this training – in direct costs, productivity loss, and reputational damage. With implementation beginning throughout 2026, organisations that prepare now will have a decisive advantage.
Course Overview
The Employment Rights Bill introduces the most significant overhaul of union law in decades. Recognition thresholds may drop to as low as 2%, unions gain formal workplace access rights, and ballot requirements are being relaxed. At the same time, unions are professionalising—investing in forensic accounting, media strategy, and advanced negotiation tactics.
This intensive in-house training course will equip your HR and industrial relations team to meet these challenges head-on, strengthen and inform union policy, and give your team the confidence to handle new union tactics effectively.
Through practical frameworks, interactive exercises, and confidential peer discussion, your organisation will be prepared for the new era of industrial relations.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will:
- Master the legal framework governing union negotiations under the Employment Rights Bill
- Recognise and counter sophisticated union pressure tactics while maintaining professionalism
- Develop robust negotiation strategies for pay, TUPE, terms & conditions, and recognition disputes
- Build emotional resilience and confidence for high-pressure negotiation scenarios
- Create an action plan to protect organisational interests while sustaining constructive relationships
Key training topics:
- The New Union Landscape: Understanding the shift from partnership to adversarial relations
- Legal Framework and Boundaries: Your rights and obligations under the new regime
- Recognition Agreements: Statutory vs voluntary recognition and derecognition procedures
- Union Tactics: Identifying and countering sophisticated pressure techniques
- Negotiation Strategies for Tough Talks: Practical frameworks for high-stakes scenarios
- Strike Law Essentials: Balloting requirements, notice periods, injunction grounds
- Action Planning: Building a tailored roadmap for compliance and negotiation success
Who will benefit from attendance:
This training is ideal for:
- HR Directors and Senior HR Managers
- Employee Relations Specialists
- Industrial Relations Managers
- Anyone responsible for union negotiations, collective bargaining, or workforce strategy
Contact Details
Catherine Ouston,
Head of In-House Training
📥 teamtraining@bfi.co.uk
📞 +44(0)1983 861133
