How to: The Role, Responsibilities and Rights of Staff Associations
Published on: 15/01/2026
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Dr. Gerry McMahon MD, Productive Personnel Ltd
Dr. Gerry McMahon MD, Productive Personnel Ltd
Gerrys L I Head Shot resized

Gerry McMahon is an acknowledged national expert in People Management.  He has over 35 years’ experience - as a workplace investigator (on bullying/harassment/ disciplinary/dismissal/grievance issues), trainer, negotiator, facilitator, mediator, arbitrator and team builder - across a wide range of employment sectors. He is the M.D. of the H.R. training and advisory company Productive Personnel Ltd. 

Gerry has also had an extensive range of books and articles published and been a columnist with the Industrial Relations News, Irish Times, Sunday Business Post, and Irish Independent and expert commentator on H.R./Employee Relations for R.T.E. and TV3/Virgin. He has also served on numerous Legal Island and C.I.P.D. judging panels and is a Council member of the Irish Association for Industrial Relations.

Contact: Tel. 087-2471415; E-Mail: ppl1gerry@gmail.com

It is widely accepted that a staff association, employee forum or a staff representative group is an organisation of employees, confined to a particular employment and usually established with the employer’s approval and support. 

Staff associations are commonly viewed as a moderate alternative to representation via an ‘external’ trade union and are frequently used as a means of forestalling unionisation. They can also be viewed as being more attuned to the enterprise-specific needs of employees and a reflection of a preference for cooperative employee relations. However, like liquorice allsorts, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and operate under different degrees of employer control.

For example, whilst many operate with encouragement from and the active participation of management,

Continue reading

We help hundreds of people like you understand how the latest changes in employment law impact your business.

Already a subscriber?

Please log in to view the full article.

What you'll get:

  • Help understand the ramifications of each important case from NI, GB and Europe
  • Ensure your organisation's policies and procedures are fully compliant with NI law
  • 24/7 access to all the content in the Legal Island Vault for research case law and HR issues
  • Receive free preliminary advice on workplace issues from the employment team

Already a subscriber? Log in now or start a free trial

Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 15/01/2026
Discover the smarter way to deliver staff training (without the stress)! Streamline your company-wide training, enhance your staff's skills, and in increase productivity with our learning management system, AppLI LMS