Union consultation rights widen after landmark Unison victory

11 August 2017

Unison has won a landmark case in the Court of Appeal that extends unions’ consultation rights to all workplace issues that affect their members.

Employers previously only had to consult with unions where the law explicitly required it, such as when employees are transferred from one employer to another, or when workers are made redundant.

But Unison took the London Borough of Wandsworth to task after it made parks police redundant without consulting the union, and the ruling in Unison’s favour by the Court of Appeal sets a precedent that means employers will now have to consult their workers over a wider range of issues.

Unions will now need to be involved in issues around working hours and holiday pay, Unison has reported.

General Secretary for the public sector union Dave Prentis said: “It means that employees in any workplace where there’s a union will now benefit from greater protection at work.

“The message to bosses is they will have to treat their staff more fairly over pay and working conditions. If they fail to consult unions then they will be acting unlawfully and could be taken to court.”