Recognition applications up 33%

Last year, when Sir Michael Burton (as chairman of the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC)) noted that the number of applications by trade unions to the CAC for statutory recognition for collective bargaining purposes had fallen, he speculated that this might be due to statutory provisions, introduced under the Employment Relations Act 1999, entering a period of stability.

This year, in his preface to the CAC annual report for the year to 31 March 2004, he has had to admit that his experience over this past year has shown that such a statement might at best have been premature.