Managing Labour Disputes Training Course: Turning Conflict Into a Productive Outcome
1Summary
Conflict shows up in every organisation — it is a normal, even healthy, part of human interaction, often signalling an honest exchange of ideas rather than a problem. The issue is not that conflict exists, but what happens when it is left unmanaged: dissatisfaction, stress, falling productivity, and a hostile environment. This Arab British Fellowship Training Academy course is built around that distinction.
Participants learn to recognise the different types of conflict that surface at work, understand why they emerge, and apply the right method for each — before, during, and after a dispute. The course leans heavily on practical negotiation and conflict-management exercises rather than theory alone.
Handled well, conflict sharpens understanding and judgement. Handled badly, even minor personal disagreements within a team can derail the best-laid plans — which is exactly the gap this course is designed to close.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Managers and staff in human resources and labour relations.
- Executives and union organisers.
- Senior trade union representatives.
- Anyone applying to or serving on a conciliation, mediation or arbitration committee for labour disputes.
- Graduates and anyone interested in this field.
Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify and understand the different sources of conflict, and how personality shapes it.
- Manage emotions and influence others emotionally within a dispute.
- Apply conflict-resolution patterns that lead to genuinely positive outcomes.
- Factor ethics into negotiation with others.
- Recognise tactical approaches that can lead to conflict, and take steps to avoid it.
- Manage conflict within teams and drive effective team problem-solving.
- Know when a dispute needs a third-party negotiator, and use different sources of power depending on the situation.
- Apply the legal requirements around strike action and the guidelines for handling it, along with relevant case law.
3Course Content
Module 1: Conflict Is Not the Enemy — Sources and Nature
- The real nature and scope of conflict management.
- Where conflict actually comes from.
- How personality shapes the way conflict plays out.
- The assumptions people bring into a conflict, and how they shape its outcome.
Module 2: The Legal Framework for Resolving Labour Disputes
- Legal guidelines for resolving labour disputes in the United Kingdom.
- The basics of evidence law as it applies to disputes.
- Relevant case law worth knowing.
Module 3: Reading the Signs and Choosing Your Approach
- Signs a conflict is escalating, and how escalation actually happens.
- Choosing a conflict-management style that fits the specific situation.
- Core conflict-management strategies to have ready.
Module 4: Managing Yourself in Conflict
- Managing emotions, information and problems as they surface.
- Delivering negative feedback without making things worse.
- Common mistakes to avoid when handling conflict.
Module 5: Negotiation and Influence
- Core negotiation skills for a dispute setting.
- Using your power bases to convince others.
- Influence and the psychology of changing hearts, minds and actions.
- Building effective relationships that hold up under pressure.
Module 6: Formal Dispute Resolution — Conciliation and Arbitration
- Dispute resolution methods available, and when to use each.
- Conciliation procedures in practice.
- Arbitration procedures in practice.
Module 7: Leading Through Conflict — Teams, Managers and Strikes
- Turning points of contention into a workable framework for resolving them.
- Handling conflict as a manager, and managing it within teams specifically.
- Dealing with a strike situation from a management position.