Fewer recognition deals signed

Unions signed 166 recognition deals last year, around half the 307 signed the year before and around a third of the 470 signed in 2001 - the first year in which the new statutory right to recognition started to have an effect. The figures come from the latest Trade union trends survey published by the TUC.

The TUC suggests that one reason for the slow down in recognition deals is that some companies are using new tactics to frighten off potential union members.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said that "a minority of employers are determined not to give employees the right to choose recognition and are increasingly turning to union-busting consultants".

Another reason suggested is that the "easy" cases have now mostly been dealt with: "Inevitably ... it is employers whose position is more entrenched who are now the targets of recognition campaigns," Barber said.

More than four out of five of the recognition agreements, 137 out of 166, are voluntary but 29 were the result of rulings by the Central Arbitration Committee. This number has increased each year since 2001 when it was 20.

Even where the agreements are voluntary the existence of the law is often crucial. In 32% of cases the unions involved considered that the introduction of the right to statutory recognition was influential in securing a voluntary deal.

At Ness Furniture in Durham, for example, the GMB was only granted recognition rights for the 105 employees after it had triggered the legal process.