Grievances in historic reference are hardship caused by an authority over its subjects. During an uprising, the subjects would list the hardships they had suffered and ask for resolution and compensation. In many cases, that involved overturning the authority.
The Declaration of Independence contained a list of grievances the colonists had against King George.
A grievance process is designed to give employees and employers a fair and objective system to raise and review serious issues and complaints without bias. A formal grievance procedure should support employees to raise concerns relating to a safe working environment without the fear of any negative repercussions.
