Further information

Legal sources and publications


Copies of relevant statutes and regulations are available online at: www.legislation.gov.uk. In Northern Ireland, legislation is published on the Labour Relations Agency website at: www.lra.org.uk. Paper copies are available from your local library. Always check the publication date to make sure it is up-to-date.



Most of the cases referred to in this booklet can be downloaded free of cost from the website of the British and Irish Legal Information Institute: www.bailii.org. Some older cases (pre-2000) may not appear on the Bailii website. They will be published in hard copy law reports, such as the Industrial Relations Law Reports (IRLR) or the Industrial Cases Reports (ICR) which can be obtained from your local library. The Labour Research Department (LRD) holds paper editions of the IRLR (but not the ICR) for the years from 1979-2008. 




In the past, employment tribunal (ET) decisions (as opposed to those of the Employment Appeal Tribunal or the Court of Appeal) were not published. This is because ET decisions do not bind other courts or tribunals. Even so, they are a useful indicator of the factors that tribunals consider when making decisions. In March 2017, these judgments became publicly available for the first time via a new online searchable database at: www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions. Anyone wanting earlier tribunal rulings can attend in person at the tribunal offices in Bury St Edmunds for English and Welsh decisions, or in Glasgow for Scottish decisions, or order a copy of a specific ruling for a fee. Where a case was brought with the support of a union, the union may be able to supply a copy of the tribunal’s written judgment.



The Labour Research Department


LRD publishes regular booklets on legal issues of interest to trade union reps and members, and on union strategies to tackle those issues. Relevant titles are highlighted throughout this booklet. LRD’s monthly pay and conditions journal, Workplace Report, provides up-to-date commentary on legal developments, quarterly updates and analysis of negotiated collective agreements across different sectors. Information about LRD’s publications and details of how to order are available at: www.lrdpublications.org.uk, or by contacting: LRD, 78 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HF, tel: 020 7928 3649.





LRD also maintains a searchable database known as “Payline” containing over 2,000 union-negotiated collective agreements, available to LRD Payline subscribers (www.lrd.org.uk/index.php?pagid=18). 


Other useful sources of information



Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas): www.acas.org.uk. Acas helpline: 0300 123 1100. Acas also runs Acas Helpline Online — an automated database for simple questions.



Central Arbitration Committee (CAC): makes awards of statutory union recognition and deals with union requests for disclosure of information, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square London EC4Y 8JX, tel: 0330 109 3610, www.cac.gov.uk, email: [email protected]. 




Certification Officer: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/certification-officer, Lower Ground Floor, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, EC4Y 8JX; tel: 0330 109 3602, email: [email protected] (see Chapter 5).




Citizens Advice: www.citizensadvice.org.uk. Advice is available by visiting or phoning a local office. Telephone numbers are on the main website. A new national phone service, Adviceline. Is now fully operational in Wales and Scotland and is being rolled out in England.



Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS): www.equalityadvisoryservice.com. Government-funded website providing advice on equality concerns. Helpline: 0808 800 0082.



Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): www.equalityhumanrights.com. The EHRC no longer runs an advice line. 




Fit for work Service: http://fitforwork.org. Government-funded occupational health referral service and online information hub. Advice line: 0800 032 6235. 






Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA): www.gla.gov.uk. The GLAA runs a confidential hotline for reporting suspected labour abuse tel: 0800 432 0804, or by email: [email protected]. See the website for more information on reporting.




GOV.UK: www.gov.uk: government website providing basic information about legal rights.



Health and Safety Executive (HSE): www.hse.gov.uk. The HSE does not run an advice line. The website has information explaining how to complain to the regulator about health and safety at work, and which regulator to contact.




HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Ministry of Justice: www.gov.uk/employment-tribunals. Contact centre: 0300 123 1204 (England and Wales).




Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk. Concerns about data protection can be raised using live chat or by calling a helpline: 0303 123 1113. The ICO also provides a template letter to help frame concerns about data misuse: https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/raising-concerns. Codes of Practice are published on the website.



Labour Relations Agency: www.lra.org.uk, 2-16 Gordon Street, Belfast BT1 2LG, tel: 028 9032 1442.




Public Concern at Work (whistleblowing charity): www.pcaw.org.uk; Confidential helpline: 020 7404 6609.




Trade Union Congress (TUC): www.tuc.org.uk.



TUC WorkSMART: https://worksmart.org.uk: a TUC website providing free comprehensive, plain-English guides to employment rights, health and safety, pay and pensions and an interactive trade union finder.




TUC Unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation provides accredited courses for union reps. Details are available from: https://www.unionlearn.org.uk. See also TUC Education at: www.tuceducation.org.uk. Individual unions also provide courses to their members.