Certification Officer

General enquiries

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Impact on Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations

The Certification Officer recognises that trade unions and employers’ associations may find it difficult to comply with some of the requirements set out in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (“the Act”) because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic

The Certification Officer is clear that the priority for trade unions must be to comply with the government’s guidance on dealing with the pandemic, and that the safety of their staff and members is paramount.

Where a trade union believes that it cannot comply with the Act, that it will miss any deadlines set for it by the Certification Officer, or that it must breach its rules relating to any of the matters set out in Section 108A of the Act, it should seek to notify the Certification Officer at the earliest opportunity.

The Certification Officer will consider any representations made to her relating to any of these issues on a case-by-case basis, and she will seek to accommodate any requests made in those representations. The health and safety of Union Members, staff and the general public will be her primary concern.

It is important to note that the Certification Officer and her staff will be working away from the office for the foreseeable future. If you need to contact us please do so by email. It would be helpful if you could copy all emails to info@certoffice.org to ensure that we can deal with your issue if your contact is not available.

It is possible that, whilst our premises are closed, we may not be able to offer our full range of service or to reply to you as quickly as usual. You should, however, continue to contact us as normal and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Visitors to the Certification Office should be aware that currently in the event of an emergency evacuation of the building evacuation is via two flights of stairs. Anyone with mobility impairment wishing to visit the office should contact us before doing so in order to make any necessary arrangements.