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

26.—(1) An employer who is informed by the Court under paragraph 25(9) must comply with the following [F1 five] duties. N.I.

(2) The first duty is to co-operate generally, in connection with the ballot, with the union (or unions) and the person appointed to conduct the ballot; and the second and third duties are not to prejudice the generality of this.

(3) The second duty is to give to the union (or unions) such access to the workers constituting the bargaining unit as is reasonable to enable the union(or unions) to inform the workers of the object of the ballot and to seek their support and their opinions on the issues involved.

(4) The third duty is to do the following (so far as it is reasonably to expect the employer to do so)—

(a) to give to the Court, within the period of 10 working days starting with the day after that on which the employer is informed under paragraph 25(9), the names and home addresses of the workers constituting the bargaining unit;

(b) to give to the Court, as soon as is reasonably practicable, the name and home address of any worker who joins the[F2 unit] after the employer has complied with paragraph (a);

(c) to inform the Court, as soon as is reasonably practicable, of any worker whose name has been given to the Court under paragraph[F2 19D or paragraph (a) or (b) of this sub-paragraph and] who ceases to be within the unit.

[F3 (4A) The fourth duty is to refrain from making any offer to any or all of the workers constituting the bargaining unit which—

(a) has or is likely to have the effect of inducing any or all of them not to attend any relevant meeting between the union (or unions) and the workers constituting the bargaining unit, and

(b) is not reasonable in the circumstances.

(4B) The fifth duty is to refrain from taking or threatening to take any action against a worker solely or mainly on the grounds that he—

(a) attended or took part in any relevant meeting between the union (or unions) and the workers constituting the bargaining unit, or

(b) indicated his intention to attend or take part in such a meeting.

(4C) A meeting is a relevant meeting in relation to a worker for the purposes of sub-paragraph (4A) and (4B) if—

(a) it is organised in accordance with any agreement reached concerning the second duty or as a result of a step ordered to be taken under paragraph 27 to remedy a failure to comply with that duty, and

(b) it is one which the employer is, by such an agreement or order as is mentioned in paragraph (a), required to permit the worker to attend.

(4D) Without prejudice to the generality of the second duty imposed by this paragraph, an employer is to be taken to have failed to comply with that duty if—

(a) he refuses a request for a meeting between the union (or unions) and any or all of the workers constituting the bargaining unit to be held in the absence of the employer or any representative of his (other than one who has been invited to attend the meeting) and it is not reasonable in the circumstances for him to do so,

(b) he or a representative of his attends such a meeting without having been invited to do so,

(c) he seeks to record or otherwise be informed of the proceedings at any such meeting and it is not reasonable in the circumstances for him to do so, or

(d) he refuses to give an undertaking that he will not seek to record or otherwise be informed of the proceedings at any such meeting unless it is reasonable in the circumstances for him to do either of those things.

(4E) The fourth and fifth duties do not confer any rights on a worker; but that does not affect any other right which a worker may have.]

[F2 (4F) Sub-paragraph (4)(a) does not apply to names and addresses that the employer has already given to the Court under paragraph 19D.

(4G) Where (because of sub-paragraph (4F)) the employer does not have to comply with sub-paragraph (4)(a), the reference in sub-paragraph (4)(b) to the time when the employer complied with sub-paragraph (4)(a) is to be read as a reference to the time when the employer is informed under paragraph 25(9).

(4H) If—

(a) a person was appointed on an application under paragraph 19C, and

(b) the person appointed to conduct the ballot is not that person,

the Court must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, pass on to the person appointed to conduct the ballot the names and addresses given to it under paragraph 19D.]

(5) As soon as is reasonably practicable after the Court receives any information under sub-paragraph (4) it must pass it on to the person appointed to conduct the ballot.

(6) If asked to do so by the union (or unions) the person appointed to conduct the ballot must send to any worker—

(a) whose name and home address have been[F2 passed on to him under paragraph 19D or this paragraph], and

(b) who is still within the unit (so far as the person so appointed is aware),

any information supplied by the union (or unions) to the person so appointed.

(7) The duty under sub-paragraph (6) does not apply unless the union bears (or unions bear) the cost of sending the information.

[F4 (8) Each of the powers specified in sub-paragraph (9) shall be taken to include power to issue Codes of Practice—

(a) about reasonable access for the purposes of sub-paragraph (3), and

(b) about the fourth duty imposed by this paragraph.

(9) The powers are—

(a) the power of the Agency under Article 90 of the 1992 Order;

(b) the power of the Department under Article 95 of that Order..]

F1 Word in Sch. 1A para. 26(1) substituted (8.1.2006) by Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3078 (N.I. 19)), arts. 1(2), 3, Sch. 1 para. 9(2); S.R. 2005/571, art. 3, Sch. (with art. 5)

F2 2004 NI 19

F3 Sch. 1A para. 26(4A)-(4E) inserted (8.1.2006) by Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3078 (N.I. 19)), arts. 1(2), 3, Sch. 1 para. 9(3); S.R. 2005/571, art. 3, Sch. (with art. 5)

F4 Sch. 1A para. 26(8)(9) substituted (8.1.2006) for Sch. 1A para. 26(8) by Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3078 (N.I. 19)), arts. 1(2), 3, Sch. 1 para. 9(4); S.R. 2005/571, art. 3, Sch. (with art. 5)