A look at how to encourage colleagues to get active in union work, and study leave By Terry Brandon, BALPA National Officer Q I am a Company Council rep struggling to find colleagues to join the CC or at least become active. What should I be doing? Few people will volunteer to help unprompted, so you will need to get a clear message among the community. Asking people builds activity, and activity builds commitment and effectiveness. So As far as possible, ask in person Be clear about what you want them to do Make it clear how the task supports BALPA or a campaign Let people know that you are looking for volunteers Be enthusiastic about the importance of the work In the process of asking people to do something union-related, you will come across lots of people who, for one reason or another, are reluctant to get involved. Its worth trying to understand what factors are likely to prevent people from getting involved and what might motivate them to get active. Our reps are the lifeblood of BALPA, and without a strong Company Council, negotiations and representation could become compromised. Be clear: without strong membership and a rock-solid Company Council, your employer could systematically withdraw benefits or rip up hard-fought agreements. Q I am interested in an airline, airport and aviation management BSc (Hons) course is my employer obliged to allow me to study? If youre an employee aged 18 or over, you have the right to ask for unpaid time off to train or study. Youll need to show your airline that your chosen qualification will improve your ability to do your job. Your employer doesnt have to agree to your request. Before you ask, check you work in an airline with more than 250 employees and that you have worked there for more than 26 weeks. Q I have had my flexible working appeal rejected. My airline says I have exhausted the process, but I wish to contend the decision at the employment tribunal. Is this possible? It is possible, but not without limitations. The only circumstances in which you can bring a claim to an employment tribunal under the rules governing flexible working requests are if your employer has refused your request by: Failing to comply with the procedural rules on how to handle your request for example, they did not make a decision within three months, or the reason given for the refusal is not one permitted under the Employment Rights Act 1996 Rejecting your application based on incorrect facts Treating your request as withdrawn when they werent entitled to do so If you have a question youd like to put to Terry or any of our other BALPA experts, email TheLog@balpa.org You could also bring a claim if you think you have suffered a detriment or been unfairly dismissed because you asked for flexible working, or because you made a claim to the employment tribunal in relation to a flexible working request. The tribunals role is merely to verify that your employer has followed proper procedures and examined any disputed facts. Tribunals do not have the power to question the commercial validity of the employers decision or to substitute their own judgments on business reasons for those of your employer. If a tribunal finds that your employers refusal was not justified, it will make a declaration to that effect and may order your employer to: Reconsider your request but the tribunal cannot compel an employer to accept the requested changes Award you compensation of up to eight weeks pay. Unfortunately, the weeks pay is limited to 571. You should raise a grievance before making a tribunal claim. Your Company Council or National Officer will be able to support you with your grievance. INDUSTRIAL ISSUES Know your rights