Catherwood LibraryILR School

Overturning an earlier High Court ruling, a British Court of Appeal decided yesterday to uphold a judgment of the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) that the Committee need only decided whether proposed bargaining units are appropriate---not whether they are the most suitable. The use of an “appropriate unit” standard, as opposed to a “most suitable” standard, parallels language in the U.S. National Labor Relations Act and decisions by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board---the U.S. equivalent of the CAC. The suit was brought by the Transport and General Workers Union and lawyers for the CAC, and represents a major victory for Britain’s unions, as it allows them greater flexibility to propose bargaining units based on the extent of worker support rather than mirroring the management structure of a business.