I am a Butcher. How do I resolve a dispute with my contractor?

Do you run a butchery? As a butcher, you will probably contract workers from time to time. It is not uncommon for disputes to arise with workers. If conflicts arise, there are various strategies available to resolve the matter. The nature of the business relationship between a contractor and your business will mean that the reputation of your business will depend on them doing their job so that you can do yours. As a result, if a dispute arises between your business and your contractor, the fallout can be substantial. Therefore, to protect your business from any dispute that may arise, you should have a clear idea of how you will handle the situation on a personal level first. Furthermore, it will be useful to have an understanding of the legal options available to your business in the event that you are unable to resolve the dispute yourself.

What type of method should I have in place to resolve a dispute?

In the event of a dispute between your butcher business and a contractor, you will want to achieve a resolution as quickly as possible. However, this can lead many business owners down the road of making threats to a contractor or even taking the dispute straight to court. Although these options are understandable, as the reputation and finances of your business are critical, human nature means that aggressive behaviour will never help to create a lasting resolution to a the dispute. Also, although a dispute has arisen, it may be possible to save the business relationship between you and your contractor, and even make it stronger for the experience.

Therefore, any method that you have in place to resolve a dispute between your contractor and your butcher business must be simplistic and open. This could mean that you have the discussion over a meal, or during a break or even that you invite your contractor to your home so that you can talk. The option you choose will depend entirely on your personal experience and judgment as to which one will work best. Furthermore, once both you and your contractor are comfortable, you should have an honest conversation during which you outline why you feel the dispute has arisen. Then, you should allow your contractor to give their perspective on the dispute. Once you have both genuinely listened to each other’s opinion, you should begin to formulate a resolution to the dispute to which you can both agree. Finally, you must remember that if this meeting fails, any option available to you from this point onwards will involve uncertainty, time and money, so be sure to give it your best effort.

What if this fails?

The unfortunate reality of doing business is that sometimes a business relationship will become so untenable that a resolution can only be found through legal means. In such instances, it is certainly advisable that you seek the advice of a legal professional as soon as possible. This will ensure that you are aware of the legal implications of any decision you make from this point onwards. It will also allow a lawyer to become familiar with your case sooner rather than later if the dispute eventually ends up in court.

Some of the options available to your butcher business include mediation and arbitration. Both these options are substantially cheaper than going to court and will allow you to resume business as usual sooner rather than later. However, mediation will require both you and your contractor to reach a mutual agreement with the help of a neutral third party. While in arbitration, the neutral third party will come to a decision for you. Therefore, you should rely on your knowledge and experience to choose which option would be best for your business.

Conclusion

If you are looking to start your own butcher business or expand your already existing butcher business, it is important that you concern yourself with the method you will use to resolve a dispute with your contractor. First and foremost you should endeavour to come to a resolution between yourselves, without the need for legal advice. Failing this, it is advisable that you seek legal advice before deciding upon the next step. Nevertheless, two options that could work best for your business could be either mediation or arbitration, as these will be much quicker and cheaper than going to court. Finally, if you have any further questions relating to how to resolve a dispute between you and your contractor, feel free to call LegalVision for a fixed-fee quote.