How Avara’s Colleague Councils are giving hourly paid staff a greater say
In an industry often characterised by high staff turnover, Avara Foods is taking a fresh approach to workforce engagement. Through the creation of regional Colleague Councils, the company has launched a scheme that ensures every employee, whether they are a union member or not, has a voice.
The initiative is not just about employee satisfaction, it’s about modernising industrial relations in a sector where traditional trade union representation has long been in decline.
“Trade union membership has been falling since the 1970s,” explained Rory Murphy, a Unite member of 50 years, who has been brought in as an independent chair to oversee the integrity of the Council meetings. “It’s fallen more rapidly in the private sector than the public. People just aren’t joining unions, churches, or clubs in the same way anymore. It’s a different world.”
While unions still play a role at Avara Foods, their reach had become increasingly limited.
Union decline
“Our union membership is less than 5%,” said Laura Green, Head of HR for the operational sites at Avara. “That meant when it came to big issues, like pay negotiations, not everyone’s voice was being heard. The colleague councils give us a structure to correct that.”
Rather than marginalising existing unions, Avara invited their participation within the new framework. Both GMB and Unite now have seats on the councils alongside elected employee representatives and management figures.
“It’s not about excluding unions,” Green said. “It’s about including more people.”
Earlier this year, the company launched four regional groups covering the North West, Midlands, East, and South, to ensure representation across its sites.
The process of selecting council members was democratic. Employees were invited to nominate themselves, state what they hoped to contribute, and participate in a workplace election.
“You put your name forward, explained what you hoped to bring to the Council, and then there was a vote,” said Rob Nash, a driver from Herefordshire who now sits on one of the councils. “It’s about being a bridge between staff and management.”
Georgiana Satnoianu, another elected council rep and employee liaison officer at the Caster site, added:
“I get to interact with all departments, so people feel comfortable coming to me with their thoughts and concerns. It’s about approachability and trust.”
Pay negotiations
From the outset, the Councils were thrown into substantial discussions, most notably the annual pay review.
“The first thing we did in all four councils was go through the agreement line by line and make sure everyone was compatible,” Green said. “This included union reps, colleague reps, management, and Rory as the independent chair.”
With the Councils newly formed and the pay review deadline approaching, there was little room for warm-up. But the system worked. Avara landed its 2024 pay review on time for the first time in recent memory, with an average 5% increase across the board.
“That’s a pretty high-stakes negotiation to start with,” Murphy said. “The fact that colleague reps were able to step into those conversations, get feedback from the workforce, and deliver results speaks volumes.”
Beyond pay, early discussions have also focused on reviewing employee benefits, working hours, and operational conditions. But one of the most cited benefits among reps and leadership alike is improved communication.
“It’s definitely a two-way street,” Nash said. “Management gives us updates we can pass to colleagues, and we bring concerns directly back to the business.”
“A lot of the issues that come up are about communication,” Murphy said. “Sometimes people just want to know they’ve been heard. That alone can solve a lot.”
Visible representation
One advantage of the Council model, especially compared to sparse union representation, is accessibility.
“In Hereford, for example, there’s one union rep,” said Nash. “Now, we’ve got four colleague reps across different parts of the site. People see us every day. That makes it easier for them to raise issues.”
“We’re more visible, more approachable,” added Satnoianu. “Colleagues can just stop us and talk.”
And it’s not just employees who are benefiting. Management also gains more direct, consistent insights into workforce concerns.
“It’s quite a responsibility to take on,” said Murphy. “You’re representing your colleagues and helping shape workplace policy. It builds confidence, skills, and leadership.”
To support that growth, Avara is rolling out training for reps in areas like negotiation, critical thinking, and communication. Training needs are being discussed within the councils themselves.
“This is new for a lot of reps,” Green acknowledged. “So we’re supporting them with structured training, not just a one-off, but ongoing learning throughout the year.”
A model for the future?
The Colleague Councils are still in their infancy, but momentum is building. A national meeting of all four councils is scheduled for October.
Already, the Councils appear to be shaping a culture of more meaningful collaboration between staff and leadership. And it’s happening without the friction that sometimes characterises traditional union-management relations.
“People feel more comfortable getting involved when they see that everyone’s part of it,” said Nash. “It’s not just a few people making decisions. It’s the whole workforce.”
“When you compare the Colleague Council to the Union, we’re just more visible,” said Nash. “At the Hereford site, for example, they’ve gone from one Union rep to four Colleague Reps, all based in different parts of the factory. From our perspective, that’s made communication a lot better. I work in one of the entry areas, and we rarely saw anyone from the Union. Now staff have reps they know and see every day, and that’s really helping. Moving forward, I think it’s only going to get easier to communicate with colleagues and share their views.”
Avara is also hoping the Councils will give them an advantage when it comes to staffing.
“We haven’t had major recruitment or retention issues recently,” Green said. “But initiatives like this help make sure we don’t. When people feel heard and involved, they’re more likely to see a long-term future here.”
So what’s next for Avara’s Colleague Councils? That’s largely up to the Councils themselves. As the structure matures, decisions around growth, additional representation, and new priorities will be shaped by the employees.
“We’ll come back in a year and take another look,” said Rory. “By then, we’ll have a clearer sense of how this is evolving and what impact it’s really having.”