A statutory application for recognition by Unite the Union, under Schedule A1 to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, in respect of Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd, has been successful.
The agreement will cover management grades known as SPMs and SDMs, outstation manager, train presentation manager and modifications manager based at the Central Rivers depot, with the exclusion of the service support manager and depot operations manager role.
Mick Stevens, regional officer at Unite the Union, commented: “With some guidance from Unite Legal Services, I was able to map my way through a formal statutory Central Arbitration Committee application as unfortunately, there appeared to be some reluctance by the employer in accepting a voluntary agreement. However, I now look forward to working with the employer and establishing the mechanism and bargaining machinery to be used.”
Stef Blasczyk, West Midlands legal officer, commented that activists may wish to note that the actual bargaining unit (BU) in this example contained less than 21 employees.
“There may be a common misconception that an actual BU has to contain more than 21 employees, this is not the case. So long as the employer has more than 21 workers and the BU is compatible with effective management, you may be able to proceed with a statutory application. A copy of the judgement will shortly be available for Unite activists at: www.unitelegalservices.org.”
