Labour Research October 2003

Law Matters

Derecognition

In one of the first cases on the issue, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) has ruled in favour of a company's claim to end union recognition. Ardengate, a London-based company, had a statutory recognition agreement with the GMB general union but the company told the CAC that the bargaining unit for which statutory notice was given no longer exists. This is one of the grounds under which the CAC has the power to terminate a recognition agreement. Although unions can challenge the notice, where a specific bargaining unit no longer exists there is no power to retain recognition.