The Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Complaint about ballot for endorsement of employee request

10.—(1) Any employee in the undertaking referred to in regulation 8(1) or employee in one of the undertakings referred to in regulation 9(1), or representative of such employees, who believes that a requirement has not been satisfied that has to be satisfied in order to entitle either the employer, in accordance with regulation 8(2), to hold a ballot, or the employers, in accordance with regulation 9(2), to hold a combined ballot, may, within 21 days of the employer informing the employees of the relevant undertaking under regulation 8(3)(a), present a complaint to the Industrial Court.

(2) Any employee or employees' representative who believes that the arrangements for a ballot held under regulation 8 or 9, as the case may be, did not satisfy one or more of the requirements set out in regulation 8(4) may, within 21 days of the date of the ballot, present a complaint to the Industrial Court.

(3) Where the Industrial Court finds a complaint under paragraph (1) or (2) well-founded it shall –

(a) in the case of a finding on a complaint under paragraph (1), that any requirement set out in sub-paragraph (a) to (d) of regulation 8(1) was not satisfied in relation to the undertaking referred to in regulation 8(1) or 9(1)(a), make an order requiring the employer to whom regulation 8(1) or 9(1)(a) relates to initiate negotiations in accordance with regulation 7(1);

(b) in the case of a finding on a complaint under paragraph (1) that any requirement set out in sub-paragraphs (b) to (d) of regulation 9(1) has not been satisfied, make an order that no combined ballot shall take place and requiring the employer to whom regulation 9(1)(a) relates, according to the preference he has expressed, to initiate negotiations in accordance with regulation 7(1) or, within such period as the order may specify, to conduct a ballot under regulation 8; and

(c) in the case of a complaint under paragraph (2) –

(i) where prior to the order being made, the employer referred to in regulation 8(1) or 9(1)(a) makes representations to the Industrial Court that he would prefer to initiate negotiations under regulation 7, make an order requiring that employer to do so; or

(ii) in the absence of such representations, order the employer or employers to hold the ballot under regulation 8 or 9, as the case may be, again within such period as the order may specify.