The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1995

PART X N.I. MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS

Unfair dismissal N.I.

Art. 136 rep. by 1996 NI 16

Liability of trade union in certain proceedings in tort N.I.

Liability of trade union in proceedings in tort N.I.

137.  For Article 21 of the 1992 Order there shall be substituted the following Articles—

“Liability of trade union in certain proceedings in tort

21.— (1) Where proceedings in tort are brought against a trade union—

(a) on the ground that an act—

(i) induces another person to break a contract or interferes or induces another person to interfere with its performance, or

(ii) consists in threatening that a contract (whether one to which the union is a party or not) will be broken or its performance interfered with, or that the union will induce another person to break a contract or interfere with its performance, or

(b) in respect of an agreement or combination by two or more persons to do or to procure the doing of an act which, if it were done without any such agreement or combination, would be actionable in tort on such a ground,

then, for the purpose of determining in those proceedings whether the union is liable in respect of the act in question, that act shall be taken to have been done by the union if, but only if, it is to be taken to have been auathorised or endorsed by the trade union in accordance with the following provisions.

(2) An act shall be taken to have been authorised or endorsed by a trade union if it was done, or was authorised or endorsed—

(a) by a person empowered by the rules to do, authorise or endorse acts of the kind in question, or

(b) by the executive or the president or general secretary, or

(c) by any other committee of the union or any other official of the union (whether employed by it or not).

(3) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph (2)—

(a) any group of persons constituted in accordance with the rules of the union is a committee of the union; and

(b) an act shall be taken to have been done, authorised or endorsed by an official if it was done, authorised or endorsed by, or by any member of, any group of persons of which he was at the material time a member, the purposes of which included organising or co-ordinating industrial action.

(4) The provisions of sub-paragraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph (2) apply notwithstanding anything in the rules of the union, or in any contract or rule of law, but subject to the provisions of Article 21A (repudiation by union of certain acts).

(5) Where for the purposes of any proceedings an act is by virtue of this Article taken to have been done by a trade union, nothing in this Article shall affect the liability of any other person, in those or any other proceedings, in respect of that act.

(6) In proceedings arising out of an act which is by virtue of this Article taken to have been done by a trade union, the power of the High Court to grant an injunction includes power to require the union to take such steps as the court considers appropriate for ensuring—

(a) that there is no, or no further, inducement of persons to take part or to continue to take part in industrial action, and

(b) that no person engages in any conduct after the granting of the injunction by virtue of having been induced before it was granted to take part or to continue to take part in industrial action.

The provisions of paragraphs (2) to (4) apply in relation to proceedings for failure to comply with any such injunction as they apply in relation to the original proceedings.

(7) In this Article “rules”, in relation to a trade union, means the written rules of the union and any other written provision forming part of the contract between a member and the other members.

Repudiation by union of certain acts

21A.— (1) An act shall not be taken to have been authorised or endorsed by a trade union by virtue only of sub-paragraph (c) of Article 21(2) if it was repudiated by the executive, president or general secretary as soon as reasonably practicable after coming to the knowledge of any of them.

(2) Where an act is repudiated—

(a) written notice of the repudiation must be given to the committee or official in question, without delay, and

(b) the union must do its best to give individual written notice of the fact and date of repudiation, without delay—

(i) to every member of the union who the union has reason to believe is taking part, or might otherwise take part, in industrial action as a result of the act, and

(ii) to the employer of every such member.

(3) The notice given to members in accordance with sub-paragraph (b)(i) of paragraph (2) must contain the following statement—

“Your union has repudiated the call (or calls) for industrial action to which this notice relates and will give no support to unofficial industrial action taken in response to it (or them). If you are dismissed while taking unofficial industrial action, you will have no right to complain of unfair dismissal.”.

(4) If paragraph (2) or (3) is not complied with, the repudiation shall be treated as ineffective.

(5) An act shall not be treated as repudiated if at any time after the union concerned purported to repudiate it the executive, president or general secretary has behaved in a manner which is inconsistent with the purported repudiation.

(6) The executive, president or general secretary shall be treated as so behaving if, on a request made to any of them within three months of the purported repudiation by a person who—

(a) is a party to commercial contract whose performance has been or may be interfered with as a result of the act in question, and

(b) has not been given written notice by the union of the repudiation,

it is not forthwith confirmed in writing that the act has been repudiated.

(7) In this Article “commercial contract” means any contract other than—

(a) a contract of employment, or

(b) any other contract under which a person agrees personally to do work or perform services for another.”.

The Agency N.I.

Functions of the Agency N.I.

138.  Para. (1) rep. by 1999 NI 9

(2) For Article 89 of the 1992 Order (powers of the Agency to give advice) there shall be substituted—

“Advice

89.— (1) The Agency may, on request or otherwise, give employers, employers' associations, workers and trade unions such advice as it thinks appropriate on matters concerned with or affecting or likely to affect industrial relations.

(2) The Agency may also publish general advice on matters concerned with or affecting or likely to affect industrial relations.”.

Fees for exercise of functions by Agency N.I.

139.  After Article 90 of the 1992 Order there shall be inserted the following Article—

“Fees for exercise of functions by the Agency

90A.— (1) The Agency may, in any case in which it thinks it appropriate to do so, but subject to any directions under paragraph (2), charge a fee for exercising a function in relation to any person.

(2) The Department may direct the Agency to charge fees, in accordance with the direction, for exercising any function specified in the direction, but the Department shall not give a direction under this paragraph without consulting the Agency.

(3) A direction under paragraph (2) may require the Agency to charge fees in respect of the exercise of a function only in specified descriptions of case.

(4) A direction under paragraph (2) shall specify whether fees are to be charged in respect of the exercise of any specified function—

(a) at the full economic cost level, or

(b) at a level less than the full economic cost but not less than a specified proportion or percentage of the full economic cost.

(5) Where a direction requires fees to be charged at the full economic cost level the Agency shall fix the fee for the case at an amount estimated to be sufficient to cover the administrative costs of the Agency of exercising the function including an appropriate sum in respect of general staff costs and overheads.

(6) Where a direction requires fees to be charged at a level less than the full economic cost the Agency shall fix the fee for the case at such amount, not being less than the proportion or percentage of the full economic cost specified under paragraph (4)(b), as it thinks appropriate (computing that cost in the same way as under paragraph (5)).

(7) No liability to pay a fee charged under this Article shall arise on the part of any person unless the Agency has notified that person that a fee may or will be charged.

(8) For the purposes of this Article—

(a) a function is exercised “in relation to” a person who avails himself of the benefit of its exercise, whether or not he requested its exercise and whether the function is such as to be exercisable in relation to particular persons only or in relation to persons generally; and

(b) where a function is exercised in relation to two or more persons the fee chargeable for its exercise shall be apportioned among them as the Agency thinks appropriate.”.

Ballots N.I.

Ballots: repeal of provisions for financial assistance and use of employers' premises N.I.

140.—(1) Articles 102 and 103 of the 1992 Order (financial assistance towards expenditure on certain ballots and obligations of employers to make premises available) shall cease to have effect on 1st April 1996.

(2) No application under regulations under Article 102 (whether made before or after its repeal) shall be entertained by the Certification Officer in relation to expenditure in respect of a ballot if the date of the ballot falls after 31st March 1996 or in respect of arrangements to hold a ballot which is not proceeded with if the date of the ballot would have fallen after that date; but, for the purposes of applications made after (as well as before) the repeal in relation to expenditure not excluded by this paragraph, the regulations shall continue in force notwithstanding the repeal.

(3) In paragraph (2), the “date of the ballot” means, in the case of a ballot in which votes may be cast on more than one day, the last of those days.