Local Government Employers embrace mediation

Local Government Employers (LGE) is part of the Local Government Group.LGE is the national centre of excellence for local authorities on pay, pensions and employment strategy. LGE represents the interests of 375 local authorities in England and Wales as employers and has a key role in providing the main interface between employers and trade unions for consultation and negotiations The TCM Group were chosen to work as the mediation partner for LGE in 2010. Over the past 6 months, TCM has developed  a bespoke mediation training programme specifically meeting the needs for LGE which will help them deliver better outcomes in a wide variety of disputes and conflicts on pay, pensions, workforce issues and advice and social partnership. The employment groups within LG Employers' remit include:

• local government staff
• teachers
• school support staff
• firefighters
• coroners
• police and police support staff
• forensic medical examiners

The TCM Group were chosen to work as the mediation partner for LGE in 2010. Over the past six months, TCM has developed a bespke mediation training programme specifically meeting the needs for LGE which will help them deliver better outcomes in a wide variety of disputes and conflicts.

This partnership has been forged on the basis of TCM's extensive experience of setting up mediation schemes and delivering mediation services for public organisations across the UK. 

About the training

The LGE mediator training was delivered over three full days and included a wide selection of practical and taught elements. The training is accredited by the Open College Network (OCN).

The feedback from all delegates was excellent. This is what one delegate, LGE's Service Director, had to say about the course:

"This was a challenging and relevant course, it was well structured and well delivered and I found the role plays very useful. The course clearly defines what mediation is all about and equips you with the skills to do it. Overall, a stimulating and challenging course that is both relevant and self-developing."

Sarah Messenger, Service Director, Local Government Employers

LGE plays a key role in providing the main interface between local authorities as employers and trade unions for consultation and negotiation on pay, pensions, social partnership, workforce issues and advice.

The clear aim and focus for most delegates undertaking the mediation training was to establish and adopt a more structured negotiation process; develop mediation skills and techniques (differing from their already established conciliation and negotiating skills) that can add value during this process and also be able to resolve industrial relation disputes at a national and local level.

Tailored mediation training for LGE

LGE wanted to work with a trusted partner - a specialist mediation company who could work alongside them to develop a tailored mediation programme and who could provide on-going support whenever needed. As part of TCM’s quality assurance, a detailed training needs analysis was carried out and pre-course questionnaires supplied to all LGE delegates to gauge expectations and ensure outcomes are achieved from the training.

The post-training evaluation report was extremely positive with over 83% finding the overall course extremely useful and over 93% finding the standard and relevance of the course agenda excellent. The delegates appreciated the balance and mix between the practical role plays, theoretical knowledge and the first-hand experience of mediation from TCM’s expert trainer/mediator.

Notes to Editors

To find out more, call Tinu Fagbemi on 020 7092 3184

• The TCM Group is the UK's leading provider of workplace, business and consumer mediation services.
• The TCM group was established in 2001 by its founder David Liddle
• TCM celebrates its 10th birthday in June 2011. Over the past ten years the company has delivered a sophisticated package of mediation services to some of the world’s leading brands – American Airlines, HSBC, BT, Arcadia Group, CBS Outdoor, Hallmark, and Ministry of Defence amongst many others.
• The company trains over 1000 individuals in the art of mediation each year. This includes HR professionals and business leaders plus other employees who are committed to improving the way that they resolve workplace and business disputes.
• The TCM Group regularly comments on mediation, dispute resolution and labour issues relations in the media including Sky News, GMTV, BBC Radio and various trade press.
• In 1997, The TCM Group established the Professional Mediators Association (PMA) – a body dedicated to raising standards amongst professional mediators.