INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LAW

Transcription

1 INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LAW Second Edition Charles Barrow, BSc Econ, LLM, Barrister Senior Lecturer in Law, University of North London Cavendish Publishing Limited London Sydney

2 CONTENTS Préface Table ofcases Table of Statutes Table of Statutory Instruments Table ofeuropean Législation Table ofcac Décisions Table of Abbreviations v xv xxxiii xli xliii xlv xlvii 1 TRADE UNIONS- THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT 1 THE ORIGINSOFEARLYTRADE UNIONS 1 The Middle Ages to the Industrial Révolution 1 TRADE UNIONS AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4 Trade union illegalities 4 The fight for legality 8 The rise of gênerai unionism 11 The émergence of civil liabilities 12 PARTI THE REGULATION OF TRADE UNION INTERNAL AFFAIRS INTRODUCTION 17 2 TRADE UNION GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 23 THE STRUCTURE OF TRADE UNIONS 23 TRADE UNION LEGAL STATUS 25 THE DEFINITION OF A TRADE UNION 28 Can a branch be a trade union in its own right? 29 EVIDENCE OF STATUS AS A TRADE UNION 31 The test for independence 32 TRADE UNION FINANCIAL AFFAIRS 34 Trade union property 34 Statutory régulation of financial administration 41

3 Industrial Relations Law Financial régulation and the Trade Union Reform and Employment RightsActl Conclusions 47 MEMBERS' RIGHTS AND THE RULE BOOK 49 INTRODUCTION 49 CONTENT OF THE RULES 52 Judicial control over union rules 53 Limitations on the enforcement of contractual rights 57 MEMBERS' RIGHTS - THE PERSONAL OR DERTvATTVE ACTION 60 The personal action 60 The derivative action 61 ADMISSION, DISCIPLINE AND EXPULSION I 67 COMMON LAW CONTROL 67 Common law and public policy 67 Enforcement of the rule book 78 The rules of natural justice 86 ADMISSION, DISCIPLINE AND EXPULSION II 95 STATUTORY CONTROL 95 Introduction 95 The Employment Act The right not to be 'unjustifiably disdplined' 98 The right to membership 104 The statutory rights - compatibility with the Human Rights Act UNION ELECTIONS U 1 COMMON LAW CONTROL 111 STATUTORY INTERVENTION U 2 The first stage of reform 114 The second stage of reform Duty to hold élections Exclusion of a candidate for élection 116 The élection address The scrutineer and independent counting officer H^ H^ H' H'

4 Contents The electorate 119 The method of voting 119 The principle of non-interference 119 Remédies and procédure 120 The relationship between the rules and the statutory framework TRADE UNIONS AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES 123 ASRSvOSBORNE 124 THE TRADE UNION ACT ADOPTTNG POLITICAL FUND RULES 125 THE POLITICAL OBJECTS 127 THE POLITICAL FUND LEVY AND THE NON-CONTRIBUTOR 129 DISCRIMINATION AND THE NON-CONTRIBUTOR 130 THE NON-CONTRIBUTOR AND THE 'CHECK OFF 131 REMEDIES 132 THE EFFECTS OF THE CONSERVATTVE REFORMS 133 THE ROLE, SCOPE AND STRUCTURE OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 146 PART 2 FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING INTRODUCTION LEGAL EFFECT OF COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS 151 ENFORCEABILITY BETWEEN UNION AND EMPLOYER 151 Single union deals and 'no-strike' clauses 152 ENFORCEABILITY BETWEEN EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER 153 Express incorporation 154 Implied incorporation 155 Incorporation by way of agency 157 Incorporation of individual, not collective, clauses 158 Incorporation of 'no-strike' clauses 160 Conflicting collective agreements 160 Variation and change of a collective agreement 161

5 Industrial Relations Law INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS FOR UNION MEMBERS AND OFFICIALS 165 PAID AND UNPAID TIME OFF 166 Paid time off 167 Reasonableness 169 Paid time off for industrial relations training 170 Payment 170 Unpaid time off for trade union activities 172 Procédure and remédies 173 PROTECTION AGAINST DISMISSAL 174 General procédure 174 DISMISSAL FOR UNION MEMBERSHIP 175 DISMISSAL FOR PARTICIPATION IN TRADE UNION ACTIVITIES 176 At an appropriate time 177 Past union activities 178 Appropriate activities 179 Trade union organising activity 180 Industrial action and 'activities of... trade union' 181 Remédies 182 Compensation 182 Intérim relief 183 EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION AND HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS 183 ACTION SHORT OF DISMISSAL 18 4 Actions and omissions 185 Against the employée as an individual 1 The 'purpose' of the action 18 Action short of dismissal and the Employment Relations Act " Remédies 191 THE RIGHT NOT TO BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN RECRUlTMENT 192 THE INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO BE ACCOMPANIED IN GRIEVANCE OR DISCIPLINARYHEARINGS I 94 Définition of disciplinary and grievance proceedings " The scope of the right 195 Remédies l 96

6 Contents 10 COLLECTIVE RIGHTS FOR TRADE UNIONS-RECOGNITION 199 STATE SUPPORT FOR UNION RECOGNITION 199 The statutory récognition experiment ACAS and judicial review 201 RECOGNITION POLICY RECOGNITION AND THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS ACT The Application to the Central Arbitration Committee 208 The balloting process 213 The conséquences of a déclaration of récognition 215 Enforcement of récognition 217 Changes to the bargaining unit after a déclaration of récognition has been issued 217 Joint and competing applications 219 The three year rule and repeat applications 219 Semi-voluntary récognition 219 Derecognition 220 Protection against détriment and dismissal 223 Conclusions 224 VOLUNTARY RECOGNITION COLLECTIVE RIGHTS FOR TRADE UNIONS- INFORMATION AND CONSULTATION 231 THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION 231 Récognition and release of information 231 The type of information to be disclosed 232 Good industrial relations practice 232 Exceptions to the right 233 Procédure for disclosure and remédies for non-disclosure 234 RIGHTS TO CONSULTATION 235 REDUNDANCY 236 The proposai to dismiss 238 The nature and degree of consultation 240 The defence of spécial circumstances 241 Remédies 241 Conclusions 243

7 Industrial Relations Law ONATRANSFEROFTHEUNDERTAKING 244 The consultation and information provisions 247 Remédies 248 HEALTH AND SAFETY AND PENSIONS 248 TRAINING 250 THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION THE RIGHT TO ASSOCIATE IN TRADE UNIONS 259 THE GCHQ CASE 259 GCHQ - European and international standards 261 THE RIGHT TO DISSOCIATE 263 Freedom of association and the closed shop 263 The closed shop and législative control 265 PART 3 INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT INTRODUCTION INDUSTRIAL ACTION AND THE INDIVIDUAL WORKER 287 INDUSTRIAL ACTION AND THE COMMON LAW 287 INDUSTRIAL ACTION SHORT OF A STRIKE 287 The 'work to rule' 28/ 'Working without enthusiasm' and the 'go-slow' 289 Strike action - breach or suspension of contract? 290 Strike notices 291 Industrial action and loss of pay 292 INDUSTRIAL ACTION AND UNFAIR DISMISSAL 294 Industrial action dismissals and the Employment Relations Act Unfair dismissal and victimisation 29/ Participation in industrial action 300 Relevant employées 301 Remédies 302

8 Contents 14 CIVIL LIABILITIES 305 THE ECONOMIC TORTS 306 Inducing breach of contact 306 Components of the tort 306 The defenceof justification 311 Interférence with contract or with trade and business 312 Unlawful means 314 INTIMIDATION 315 CONSPIRACY 317 Conspiracy to injure 317 Conspiracy to commit an unlawful act 318 OTHER LIABILITIES 319 Inducing breach of a statutory duty 320 Economie duress 321 Inducing breach of an équitable obligation 322 The right to secure the provision of goods or services TRADE UNION IMMUNITIES 325 THE 'GOLDEN FORMULA' 326 Contemplation... (of a trade dispute) 326 Furtherance... (of a trade dispute) 326 Trade dispute 327 Disputes with government 330 THE PARTIES TO THE TRADE DISPUTE 333 Internai union disputes 333 Identity of the employer 334 THELOSSOFIMMUNITY 335 INDUSTRIAL ACTION TAKEN WITHOUT A VALID BALLOT OR WITHOUTPROVIDING THE NECESSARY NOTICE 335 THE CONDUCT AND ORGANISATION OF THE BALLOT 337 The content of the ballot paper 337 Entitlement to vote 339 Requirement for balloting separate workplaces 341

9 Industrial Relations Law Notice requirements 342 Union participation in the ballot 343 PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS AFTER THE BALLOT 344 Action within four weeks 344 The call for industrial action 345 SECONDARY ACTION 345 UNLAWFUL PICKETTNG 347 ACTION TAKEN TO ENFORCE UNION RECOGNITION OR THE USE OF UNION ONLY LABOUR 347 ACTION TAKEN TO ENFORCE TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP OR A CLOSED SHOP 348 DISMISSAL OF UNOFFICIAL STRIKERS UNION LIABILITY FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION 351 STATUTORY VICARIOUS LIABILITY 351 Répudiation 352 VICARIOUS LIABILITY FOR OTHER TORTS COMMITTED DURING INDUSTRIAL ACTION 354 REMEDIES 354 Damages 355 The interlocutory injunction THE CONDUCT OF INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES 361 PICKETING 361 Criminal liability 361 Civil liability 368 Picketing and the Human Rights Act Index 375