Decision

Recognition Decision

Updated 22 July 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Case Number: TUR1/1500(2025)

21 July 2026

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

The Office Concierge Company Limited t/a Anabas Welcome

1. Introduction

1)         Unite the Union (the Union) submitted an application to the CAC dated 22 October 2025 that it should be recognised for collective bargaining purposes by The Office Concierge Company Limited t/a Anabas Welcome (the Employer) in respect of a bargaining unit comprising “All employees employed by Anabas Welcome in the role of front of house receptionist who are engaged in the Howard de Walden 4-year contract. Unite the Union reasonable believe this to be 18 employees.” The location of the bargaining unit was given as “Employment contract states employer is located at Anabus Welcome 38 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2RU, employees may be required to work at different locations under the needs of the business.” The application was received by the CAC on 22 October 2025 and the CAC gave both parties notice of receipt of the application by letter of the same date. The Employer submitted a response to the CAC dated 29 October 2025 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 Chair established a Panel to deal with the case. The Panel consisted of Mr Jonathan Gray, Panel Chair, and, as Members, Ms Julia Buck and Mr Brian Hooper. The Case Manager appointed to support the Panel was Kate Norgate.

3)         By a decision dated 5 December 2026 the Panel accepted the Union’s application. The parties then entered a period of negotiation in an attempt to reach agreement on the appropriate bargaining unit. By e-mails of 9 March 2026 the parties informed the CAC that the agreed bargaining comprised “all 42 employees employed by Anabas Welcome on the Howard de Walden Estate contract in the following roles:  Front of House Receptionist, Front of House Elite Receptionist, Front of House Lunch Cover Receptionist, Office Manager.  For the avoidance of doubt, the Front of House Supervisor and Account Manager roles are excluded from the agreed bargaining unit.” As the appropriate bargaining unit agreed by the parties was different from that proposed by the Union in its application, the Panel was required by paragraph 20 of the Schedule A1 to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (the Schedule) to determine whether the Union’s application was invalid within the terms of paragraphs 43 to 50 of the Schedule. By a decision dated 20 April 2026 the Panel determined that the application was not invalid and that the CAC would proceed with the application.

2. Statutory provisions relating to declarations of union recognition

4)         The Schedule provides that if the CAC is satisfied that a majority of workers constituting the bargaining unit are members of the Union, as required by paragraph 22(1)(b) of the Schedule, it must issue a declaration of recognition under paragraph 22(2), unless any of the three qualifying conditions in paragraph 22(4) apply. The three conditions are:

• the CAC is satisfied that a ballot should be held in the interests of good industrial relations;
• a significant number of the union members within the bargaining unit inform the CAC that they do not want the union (or unions) to conduct collective bargaining on their behalf;
• membership evidence is produced which leads the CAC to conclude that there are doubts whether a significant number of the union members within the bargaining unit want the union (or unions) to conduct collective bargaining on their behalf.

5)         In a letter dated 20 April 2026 the Union was asked by the CAC if it claimed majority membership within the agreed bargaining unit and, if so, whether it requested that it should be recognised without a ballot in accordance with paragraph 22(2) of the Schedule. The Union, in an e-mail dated 11 April 2026, stated that it held majority membership and therefore should be granted recognition without the need for a ballot.

3. Membership check

6)         To assist the Panel in its decision on whether it was satisfied that the majority of the workers in the bargaining unit were members of the Union, the Case Manager conducted a further check of union membership in the agreed bargaining unit. The information requested from the parties was received from the Union on 1 May 2026 and from the Employer on 5 May 2026. The arrangements for the membership check were confirmed in a letter to both Parties on 30 April 2026.

7)         The Case Manager carried out a comparison of the lists, and the results of the membership check were produced in a numerical report. The check established there were 42 workers in the agreed bargaining unit of whom 19 were Union members, resulting in a membership level of 45.24%. The Membership Check Report was circulated to the Parties on 7 May 2026.

8)         On 7 May 2026, 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.

9)         The Panel asked for the views of the Parties on the form of the ballot and, in a letter dated 15 May 2026 announced that the ballot should be a postal ballot.

10)       The parties were able to reach agreement on access to workers during the balloting period and the CAC was notified accordingly.

4. The Ballot

11)       On 5 June 2026 Kanto elect 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 22 June 2026 to be returned to the QIP by no later than noon on 3 July 2026.

12)       The QIP reported to the CAC on 3 July 2026 that, of the 42 workers eligible to vote, twenty six (26) ballot papers had been returned. Twenty six (26) workers (100% of the valid vote) had voted to support the proposal that the Union should be recognised for the purposes of collective bargaining with the Employer. No workers had voted to reject the proposal. 

13)       The CAC informed the Employer and the Union on 3 July 2026 of the result of the ballot in accordance with paragraph 29(2) of the Schedule.

5. Declaration that the Union is entitled to be recognised

14)       The ballot establishes that a majority of the workers voting 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.

15)       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 42 employees employed by Anabas Welcome on the Howard de Walden Estate contract in the following roles:  Front of House Receptionist, Front of House Elite Receptionist, Front of House Lunch Cover Receptionist, Office Manager. For the avoidance of doubt, the Front of House Supervisor and Account Manager roles are excluded from the agreed bargaining unit.”

Panel 

Mr Jonathan Gray, Panel Chair

Ms Julia Buck

Mr Brian Hooper

21 July 2026