GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR MEMBERS OF TMA (UK) (“The Company”)

TURNAROUND MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (UK)

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR MEMBERS OF TMA (UK) (“The Company”)

Policy

It is the Company’s policy to ensure that if you have a grievance relating to your membership, you have a procedure that can help resolve your grievances as quickly and as fairly as possible. The key aim of the grievance procedure is to provide an internal mechanism for you to have your problems or concerns about your membership addressed.

The procedure also helps to keep grievances to a minimum by ensuring that they are dealt with promptly and before they reach larger proportions.

Principles

The grievance procedure applies to all members.

All grievance procedures and records will be dealt with confidentially.

In certain circumstances it may be necessary to seek external assistance and advice during grievance procedures.

All grievances can be raised in the first instance as a verbal grievance. If the issue cannot be settled by informal discussion, the members must provide details of the grievance in writing to the Company.

Each step and action under the procedure will be taken without unreasonable delay.

The timing and location of meetings will be reasonable and you must make all reasonable steps to attend the meeting.

Both the Company and you will have an opportunity to put their sides of the case at the meeting.

A Director of the board and the Company Secretary will hear any formal grievance unless the grievance is in relation about the said director or the Company Secretary.

Grievance Procedures

Informal Discussions

In the first instance a member who has a grievance about their membership should discuss it informally with the Company Secretary. It is hoped that the majority of concerns will be resolved at this stage.

Where the grievance cannot be resolved informally it should be dealt with under the formal grievance procedure detailed below.

Formal grievance procedures

Stage 1

Step 1: Statement of Grievance

You must put the grievance in writing to the Company’s Board and posted or emailed to the Company’s registered office at Insight House, Riverside Business Park, Stoney Common Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex CM24 8PL or grievance@tma-uk.org.The Company Secretary will bring your grievance to the attention of the Board by email. The grievance will also be tabled for discussion at the next Board meeting.

Step 2: Meeting

At or prior to that Board meeting, your grievance will be allocated to a Board director or directors who are considered best placed to deal with the matter. The director dealing with your grievance will review it and will invite you to attend a meeting in order to discuss your grievance as soon as possible. You must take all reasonable steps to attend the meeting.

After the meeting, normally within 10 working days, you will be informed by the director in writing of his/her response to your grievance, and you will be offered the right to appeal. As each case is different, in some circumstances it may not be possible to meet these time frames and in such circumstances you will be provided with a response within a reasonable time. The extended time period will not exceed 20 working days.

Step 3: Appeal

You have a right to appeal against the decision given if you are not satisfied with it. Your appeal must be put in writing to the Board and posted or emailed to the Company Secretary within 10 working days of receiving the decision.

Stage 2

Where your grievance cannot be resolved at Stage 1, you have the right to raise your grievance to the Board for a second time.

Step 1: Statement of Grievance

You must put the details of your grievance, the attempted resolution, and the reasons for appeal in writing to the Board posted or emailed to the Company Secretary.

Step 2: Meeting

You will be invited to attend a meeting with the President and one other Board director to discuss the matter as soon as possible. If the complaint is against or about the President, another director will be nominated to deal with the matter. You must take all reasonable steps to attend the meeting. You may choose to be accompanied by another member.

Following the meeting, The President of the Company (or other director nominated to deal with the matter) will inform you of the final decision as to the response to your grievance. The response will normally be within 15 working days, or where this is not possible, the time period can be extended to 20 working days from the date of the meeting. The Company’s decision at this stage is final.

Records

Records will be kept detailing the nature of the grievance raised, the Company’s response, any action taken and the reason for it. The records will be kept confidential and retained in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, which requires the release of certain data to individuals on their request. Copies of any meeting records can be provided upon request, although some information may be withheld, for example to protect a witness.