The Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1987

Prohibition on union membership requirements

13.—(1) Any term or condition of a contract for the supply of goods or services is void in so far as it purports—

(a) to require that the whole, or some part, of the work done for the purposes of the contract is to be done only by persons who are not members of trade unions or not members of a particular trade union; or

(b) to require that the whole, or some part, of such work is to be done only by persons who are members of trade unions or members of a particular trade union.

(2) A person contravenes this paragraph if, on the ground of union membership, he—

(a) fails, in a case where he maintains (in whatever form) a list of approved suppliers of goods or services or a list of persons from whom tenders for the supply of goods or services may be invited, to include the name of a particular person in that list;

(b) terminates a contract for the supply of goods or services; or

(c) does, in relation to a proposed contract for the supply of goods or services, any of the acts mentioned in paragraph (3).

(3) The acts are—

(a) excluding a particular person from the group of persons from whom tenders for the supply of the goods or services are invited;

(b) failing to permit a particular person to submit such a tender;

(c) otherwise determining not to enter into a contract with a particular person for the supply of the goods or services.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(a), a person (the “first person”) fails to include the name of another person (the “supplier”) in a list, on the ground of union membership, if the ground, or one of the grounds, for failing to include his name is either—

(a) that, if the supplier were to enter into a contract with the first person for the supply of goods or services, work to be done for the purposes of the contract would, or would be likely to, be done by persons who were not members of trade unions or of a particular trade union; or

(b) that, if the supplier were to enter into such a contract, work to be done for the purposes of the contract would, or would be likely to, be done by persons who were members of trade unions or of a particular trade union.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(b), a person terminates a contract on the ground of union membership if the ground, or one of the grounds, for terminating it is either—

(a) that work done, or to be done, for the purposes of the contract has been, or is likely to be, done by persons who are not members of trade unions or of a particular trade union; or

(b) that work done, or to be done, for the purposes of the contract has been, or is likely to be, done by persons who are members of trade unions or of a particular trade union.

(6) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(c), a person does an act on the ground of union membership if the ground, or one of the grounds, on which he does that act is either—

(a) that, if the proposed contract were entered into with the person referred to in paragraph (3), work to be done for the purposes of the contract would, or would be likely to, be done by persons who are not members of trade unions or of a particular trade union; or

(b) that, if the proposed contract were entered into with that person, work to be done for the purposes of the contract would, or would be likely to, be done by persons who are members of trade unions or of a particular trade union.

(7) Paragraph (2) does not create an offence but the obligation to comply with it is a duty owed to each of the following—

(a) in a case falling within paragraph (2)(a), the person referred to in paragraph (4) as the supplier;

(b) in a case falling within paragraph (2)(b), any other party to the contract;

(c) in a case falling within paragraph (2)(c), the person referred to in paragraph (3); and

(d) in any case, any other person who may be adversely affected by its contravention; and any breach of that duty shall be actionable accordingly (subject to the defences and other incidents applying to actions for breach of statutory duty).