ROH dispute settled at ACAS

A deal has been struck over a victimisation row at the Royal Opera House.

Late-night discussions yesterday at ACAS, the government conciliation service, led to agreement that a disciplinary panel with an independent chair should consider charges made against a union shop steward.

The steward, Pat Styles, is currently suspended from duty after managers complained about his union activities. His suspension led to a strike ballot and the threat of walkouts at the Covent Garden Opera House.

He will remain off-duty until the case has been heard by the three-person panel, which includes one nominee each from BECTU and the ROH management.

The ACAS formula also contains a mechanism to ensure that future differences between managers and union representatives at the Opera House do not lead to the impasse that was reached in the recent dispute.

• Management and union have agreed that any concerns about union representatives will first be raised with the senior steward by management. If this produces no resolution within 7 days, the issue will be referred to the union's national officer, and, in turn, if this fails to resolve the problem within a further 7 days, the union's General Secretary will intervene.

• A meeting will be held between senior representatives of union and management to re-establish a positive working relationship.

• ROH management will support a programme of training and development for union representatives at the Opera House.

BECTU welcomed the ACAS agreement, and was confident that, free from the tensions of the industrial dispute, the independent disciplinary panel would exonerate Pat Styles.