Decision

Recognition Decision

Updated 23 October 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Case Number: TUR1/1427(2024)

22 October 2025

CENTRAL ARBITRATION COMMITTEE

TRADE UNION AND LABOUR RELATIONS (CONSOLIDATION) ACT 1992

SCHEDULE A1 - COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: RECOGNITION

DECLARATION OF RECOGNITION

The Parties:

Unite the Union 

and

Facility Management UK Limited  

1. Introduction

1)         Unite the Union (the Union) submitted an application to the Central Arbitration Committee (the CAC) dated 20 September 2024 that it should be recognised for collective bargaining purposes by Facility Management UK Limited (the Employer) in respect of a bargaining unit comprising “All Facility Management UK Limited employees within the Customer Solutions Division who are contracted to work for the UK.” The location of the bargaining unit was given as “Workers within the bargaining unite work from home but are aligned to one of the two addresses below:

9 Little Park Street, Coventry CV1 2UR,

Fora, 16-19 Eastcastle, London W1W 8DY.” 

The application was received by the CAC on 20 September 2024 and the CAC gave both parties notice of receipt of the application by a letter of the same date. The Employer submitted a response to the CAC dated 4 October 2024, which was copied to the Union.

2)         In accordance with section 263 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (the Act), the CAC Chairman established a Panel to deal with the case. The Panel consisted of Mr Stuart Robertson, Panel Chair, and, as Members, Mr Rob Lummis and Mrs Janice Beards. Mrs Janice Beards was later replaced by Mr Ian Hanson. The Case Manager appointed to support the Panel was Kate Norgate. 

3)         By a decision dated 14 February 2025 the Panel accepted the Union’s application. As the Employer, in its response to the application, had stated its agreement to the proposed bargaining unit the Panel proceeded to the next stage.

4)         On 14 February 2025, the Panel, not being satisfied that a majority of the workers constituting the agreed bargaining unit were members of the Union, gave notice pursuant to paragraph 23(2) of Schedule A1 to the Act (the Schedule) that it intended to arrange for the holding of a secret ballot in which the workers constituting the bargaining unit would be asked whether they wanted the Union to conduct collective bargaining on their behalf. The parties were advised that the Panel would wait until the end of the notification period of ten working days, as specified in paragraph 24, before arranging for the holding of the ballot. The notification period elapsed without the Union, or the Union and the Employer jointly, informing the CAC that they did not want the CAC to arrange for the holding of the ballot.

5)         Both parties were in agreement that the ballot should take the form of a postal ballot. In a letter to the parties dated 19 March 2025 the Case Manager informed the parties that the Panel had decided, in accordance with paragraph 25(4) of the Schedule, that the ballot should be a postal ballot. The parties were able to reach agreement on access to workers during the balloting period and the CAC was notified accordingly.

2. The Ballot

6)         On 9 September 2025 Popularis was appointed as the Qualified Independent Person (QIP) to conduct the ballot and the parties were notified accordingly. The postal ballot papers were dispatched on 24 September 2025 to be returned to the QIP by no later than noon on 7 October 2025.  

7)         The QIP reported to the CAC on 8 October 2025 that, of the 15 workers eligible to vote, eleven (11) ballot papers had been returned; there were no spoilt papers. Ten (10) workers, that is 91% of those voting, had voted to support the proposal that the Union be recognised for the purposes of collective bargaining with the Employer. One (1) worker, that is 9% of those voting, voted to reject the proposal. The number of votes supporting the proposal as a percentage of the bargaining unit was 66.7%.

8)         The CAC informed the Employer and the Union on 8 October 2025 of the result of the ballot in accordance with paragraph 29(2) of the Schedule.

3. Declaration of Recognition

9)         The ballot establishes that a majority of the workers voting, and at least 40% of the workers constituting the bargaining unit, support the proposal that the Union should be recognised by the Employer for the purpose of conducting collective bargaining in respect of the bargaining unit. This satisfies the conditions under which the CAC must issue a declaration in favour of recognition in accordance with paragraph 29(3) of the Schedule.

10)       The CAC accordingly declares that the Union is recognised by the Employer as entitled to conduct collective bargaining on behalf of the bargaining unit comprising “All Facility Management UK Limited employees within the Customer Solutions Division who are contracted to work for the UK.”

Panel

Mr Stuart Robertson, Panel Chair

Mr Rob Lummis

Mr Ian Hanson

22 October 2025