Trade union Tweeting may ‘threaten confidentiality’

Peter Harwood, chief conciliator for employment relations organisation Acas, said employers should have a policy so everyone understands the ‘dos and don’ts’ of using the internet, blogs and social media inside and outside of work. He said that social media is changing how companies, trade unions and workers interact with one another, adding: “On one hand, in a dispute spread over fragmented workplaces, and where union representatives are thinly spread, social media can help them build contacts with workers and reach a younger generation who currently dominate social media.”

Social media also gives individuals the means to get together, organise and empower themselves without a union, he said. Mr Harwood added: “The technology also gives greater access to company and employee information, whereas, before social media, disagreement over the availability of data could in itself be the source of added conflict.

“And now, through the internet and social media, should one side gain information from their opponent’s camp, there could be a significant shift in bargaining power.

“And because some social media websites are so far-reaching, and when information is posted on them it can be passed on almost instantaneously, disputes can spread rapidly not only to other workplaces, but can draw in campaign groups with an interest in the outcome.”

He cited the example of the Lindsey Oil Refinery strike in Lincolnshire, which spread through social media and texts to more than 20 other construction sites across the country overnight. But, Mr Harwood, who spoke at a seminar in Sheffield hosted by the Industrial Law Society yesterday, said: “I have actually sat in industrial dispute talks where one of the parties has been tweeting about them.

“Such conduct is a threat to the confidentially of talks, and also raises the question of whether there should be a new code of behaviour for using social media in disputes.”

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