TUB UPDATE: Labour peer proposes scale back of punitive certification officer amendments

28 January 2016

Labour’s Baroness Donaghy has proposed amendments to the Trade Union Bill to scale back new powers the Tories wish to give the trade union regulator.

The peer has made known her intention to oppose the expansion of the Certification Officer’s powers in such a way that the regulator could investigate trade unions for misconduct even without any complaint being. If the Bill is passed in its current form, trade unions would also be billed for the expense of such investigations, even if they do not find any wrongdoing.

Baroness Donaghy has proposed amendments to the Bill that would make it necessary for a member of a trade union to complain about the organisation’s conduct before it could be investigated.

She is also pushing for a change to the language around the provision of future regulations relating to the power of the Certification Officer to charge unions for time spent on his or her duties. Under the peer’s amendments, the Secretary of State would have to legislate for the regulator to take into account individual factors around the case and the union to propose a reasonable levy.

The Bill will enter Committee Stage in the House of Lords on 08 February 2016.

Read a list of all the other amendments proposed by the Lords here.

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