Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic

Alistair Paton

Linlithgow,West Lothian

Summary

Experienced Employee Relations leader with extensive UK and international expertise in employee and industrial relations, employment policy development, conflict management, and trade union negotiations. Experience of working in the Retail and Finance industries at Executive and Board level and managing teams. Adept at employing advanced conflict mediation techniques to resolve disputes effectively. Demonstrates strong problem-solving and communication skills, ensuring effective implementation of changes. Committed to fostering a positive workplace environment and enhancing employee relations to help support business goals. Externally recognised as a member on the Central Arbitration Committee(CAC), CBI Future of Work Committee and a Fellow of the CIPD. A Charity Trustee, Chair and Coach of Linlithgow Rose Community Football Club, one of the largest community football clubs in Scotland.

Overview

27
27
years of professional experience
2005
2005
years of post-secondary education

Work History

Senior Director, Colleague Relations

Asda
Leeds
04.2020 - Current
  • Responsible for the development and implementation of the Labour Relations and Employment policy strategy across Asda, development of the inclusion and engagement strategy and provision of an Employee Relations advisory service to managers.
  • I have co-ordinated and managed large-scale complex change proposals impacting stores and depots involving collective redundancies and TUPE in a multi-union organisation.
  • I advise the Executive and Board on all Colleague Relations matters across the Asda Group (circa 150000 colleagues) and am a member of Asda's People Leadership Team.
  • Led on people matters relating to a recent acquisition of EG Group UK & Ireland (c9000 colleagues) and c130 Co-op sites (c2000 colleagues).
  • Lead pay negotiator with Usdaw in Northern Ireland and GMB in England, Scotland and Wales.
  • Negotiated and established a new collective bargaining agreement with Usdaw for our Asda Express business in early 2024.
  • Successful management of a pay dispute at Acas.
  • Management of sensitive Labour Relations matters during a time of a national pandemic including working with trade unions on health and safety matters, managing the response to industrial action ballots in depots and a series of complex employment matters.
  • Significant experience of managing industrial action in different industries, most recently in 2024 in Retail stores.
  • I led the Labour Relations approach for the separation from Walmart to new private equity ownership – with minimal trade union concerns being raised. This is one of the largest change programmes in Retail history in Europe.
  • Regular liaison with the General Secretaries of GMB and Usdaw – two of the biggest unions in the UK.
  • Engaging with Executives, including Private Equity owners, the CEO and at Board level on all Colleague Relations matters.
  • Management of all Colleague Voice mechanisms including 10 different collective groups (trade unions and elected representatives).
  • Development of and establishment of a Colleague Advisory Panel to provide direct feedback to the Asda Executive.
  • Functional and thought leadership of Colleague Relations matters including growing the development of the Labour Relations profession in Asda by establishing a Community of Interest across the HR function.
  • Participated in a CBI Conference Panel discussion in November 2024 regarding skills and employee engagement.
  • Speaker at the CIPD Scotland Conference in March 2023 on Collective Employee Voice and contributor to The HR Director magazine.

Head of Industrial Relations

Royal Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh
01.2013 - 04.2020
  • Responsible for the design and implementation of the global industrial relations strategy to support the RBS business strategy.
  • This included overall responsibility for the industrial relations approach with over 15 employee representative bodies globally who represented over 75% of our employees and managed the European Works Council.
  • In 2017/2018, I led the TUPE consultation (with UK and European employee representatives) involving the transfer of c55,000 employees in response to regulatory 'ring-fencing' changes required of banks.
  • In partnership with CIPD Scotland in 2018, and demonstrating my passion for industrial relations, I established a Senior Employee Relations Network with 50 ER professionals from 35 different organisations joining the first meeting, demonstrating thought leadership in the process.
  • Between August 2015 and August 2016, I was also responsible for Employee Relations matters across EMEA including responsibility for advising on senior departures, redundancy social plans with works councils, wellbeing, and information and consultation across 20 different countries.

Head of Employee Relations, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

Royal Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh
01.2010 - 12.2012
  • I led complex negotiations to merge two existing European Works Councils (EWC) (the ABN AMRO EWC and the RBS EWC) to form a new European Employee Council (EEC) for RBS which was then implemented successfully.
  • I managed the day-to-day relationship with the RBS European Works Council, which involved resolution of issues and being a member of the management representative team.
  • Provision of advice and guidance on the management of the relationship with employee representatives across Europe, Middle East, and Africa and information and consultation obligations including pay negotiations in Ireland, resolution of labour court issues, collective agreements, requests for recognition and responses to employee representatives.
  • Developing terms and conditions of employment, including drafting of employment contracts for European countries and advising on social plans and collective labour agreements across EMEA and India.

HR Business Partner, RBS Branch Banking, UK Retail

Royal Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh
08.2007 - 01.2010
  • Managed the HR relationship for the RBS retail branch network in Scotland (and all of Great Britain from May 2009) – a business at that time with 7000 employees, 650 branches across the UK and 3.5 million customers.
  • Board member for RBS branch banking which involved managing the key relationship with two key Executives and 13 senior managers, providing advice and guidance on people issues.
  • Led a complex restructuring programme which involved multiple redundancies and a change in ways of working during the financial crisis.

Various ER/IR roles, Policy and Employment

Royal Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh
07.2001 - 08.2007
  • Policy and Employment Technical Partner for Group Functions – key interface with Group Central Functions Business Partners and HR Directors.
  • Involved managing multiple stakeholders, involved in pay negotiations. advising on restructures, trade union consultation meetings with Unite, Executive departures, drafting compromise agreements and part of deal teams on business acquisitions which involved undertaking due diligence.
  • Development and implementation of bank-wide policies (e.g., RBS Redundancy Policy, Employee Financial Screening, Discipline and Grievance Review, Group Public Interest Disclosure).


Team Manager (NatWest Retail), Policy and Advice Services, HR Shared Services

Royal Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh
08.2006 - 02.2007
  • Operational HR experience with responsibility for the line management and performance of a team of 10 HR Advisers and one team coach in the RBS HR advisory centre which advised line managers on discipline, absence, grievance and performance issues.
  • Involved managing competing priorities, influencing business stakeholders, management of and escalation of risk, HR teams and team management.
  • Provided operational management experience to ensure call wait times were within the service level agreements and managed service-related issues on any advice that had been provided.

Employment Policy Manager

Royal Mail Group
Edinburgh
10.1998 - 07.2001
  • Having completed Royal Mail's Graduate Programme, I was responsible for providing advice and guidance on employment policy in the East of Scotland (90 offices covering approx. 3500 employees) and conducting Employee Relations Reviews of offices which had experienced recent strikes/employee relations issues and made recommendations for improvement following a review with the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
  • First-hand experience of managing conflict and industrial relations issues.

Education

Certificate in Employment Law -

Heriot Watt University
Edinburgh

CIPD Advanced Employment Law - undefined

Chartered Fellow - undefined

CIPD

BA (Hons) - Industrial Relations

University of Strathclyde
09.1994 - 05.1998

Skills


  • Industrial Relations experience in different sectors and countries
  • Conflict management expertise
  • Trade union negotiations
  • Conflict mediation techniques
  • Problem-solving
  • Communication skills
  • Commercial awareness and understanding

Timeline

Senior Director, Colleague Relations

Asda
04.2020 - Current

Head of Industrial Relations

Royal Bank of Scotland
01.2013 - 04.2020

Head of Employee Relations, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

Royal Bank of Scotland
01.2010 - 12.2012

HR Business Partner, RBS Branch Banking, UK Retail

Royal Bank of Scotland
08.2007 - 01.2010

Team Manager (NatWest Retail), Policy and Advice Services, HR Shared Services

Royal Bank of Scotland
08.2006 - 02.2007

Various ER/IR roles, Policy and Employment

Royal Bank of Scotland
07.2001 - 08.2007

Employment Policy Manager

Royal Mail Group
10.1998 - 07.2001

BA (Hons) - Industrial Relations

University of Strathclyde
09.1994 - 05.1998

CIPD Advanced Employment Law - undefined

Chartered Fellow - undefined

CIPD

Certificate in Employment Law -

Heriot Watt University

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
Alistair Paton