The Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992

Right to inspect union’s accounting records

37.—(1) It shall be the duty of a trade union to keep its accounting records available for inspection in pursuance of this Article from their creation until the end of the period of six years beginning with the 1st January following the end of the period to which the records relate.

(2) Where—

(a) at a time when a trade union is required under paragraph (1) to keep any accounting records available for inspection, any person who is a member of the union makes a request to the union to be allowed access to any of those records; and

(b) none of the records that are the subject matter of the request relates to a period other than one which includes a time when that person was a member of the union,

it shall be the duty of the union to comply with the request in accordance with paragraph (3) and, if the period mentioned in paragraph (1) expires before the request is complied with, to continue to keep those records available for inspection by that person until the request is complied with.

(3) The trade union shall perform its duty to comply with a request under paragraph (2)—

(a) by making arrangements with the person who made the request for that person to be allowed, before the end of the period of twenty-eight days beginning with the day on which the request was made, to inspect the records which are the subject matter of the request;

(b) by allowing that person and any accountant who may accompany him for the purpose to inspect those records at the time and place arranged; and

(c) by securing that at the time of the inspection that person is allowed to take, or is supplied with, such copies of, or of extracts from, any records inspected by him as he may require.

(4) Except where the parties to any arrangements made under paragraph (3) otherwise agree, an inspection under any such arrangements of any accounting records shall be at a reasonable hour and at the place where the records are normally kept.

(5) A trade union shall not be required to allow a person inspecting any accounting records under this Article to be accompanied by an accountant if the accountant fails to enter into such agreement as the union may reasonably require for protecting the confidentiality of the records.

(6) Where—

(a) a trade union complies with a request made by any person under paragraph (2); and

(b) that person had been informed by the union, before any arrangements were made in pursuance of that request—

(i) of the union’s intention to charge for allowing that person to inspect the records to which the request relates, for allowing that person to take any copies of, or of extracts from, those records or for supplying any such copies; and

(ii) of the principles in accordance with which its charges will be determined,

that person shall be liable to pay to the union on demand such amount, not exceeding the reasonable administrative expenses incurred by the union in complying with the request, as is determined in accordance with the principles of which that person was so informed.

(7) Any person who claims that a trade union has failed in any respect to comply with a request made by that person under paragraph (2) may apply to the High Court for an order under this Article; and where, on such an application, the court is satisfied that a trade union has failed to comply with any such request, the court shall make such order as it considers appropriate for ensuring that that person—

(a) is allowed to inspect the records which are the subject matter of the request;

(b) is allowed to be accompanied by an accountant when making an inspection of those records; and

(c) is allowed to take, or is supplied with, such copies of, or of extracts from, those records as he may require.

(8) Without prejudice to any power conferred on the High Court otherwise than by virtue of this Article, the court shall have power, on an application under this Article, to grant any such interlocutory relief as it considers appropriate.

(9) Article 13 shall apply in relation to the duties to keep accounting records available for inspection which are imposed on trade unions by paragraphs (1) and (2) as it applies in relation to the duties imposed on trade unions by Articles 10, 11 and 12.

(10) In this Article—

(a) references to accounting records, in relation to a trade union, are references to such of the documentary and non-documentary accounting records of that union, or of any branch or section of that union, as are, or purport to be, records which are required to be kept by the union under Article 10 and which relate to any period beginning after 31st December 1991;

(b) references to a trade union do not include references to a trade union falling within sub-paragraph (b) of Article 3(1) which consists wholly of constituent or affiliated organisations, of representatives of such organisations or of such organisations together with representatives of constituent or affiliated organisations; and

(c) references to an accountant, in relation to the inspection of any accounting records, are references to any person who, at the time of the inspection, is qualified under paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to be the auditor of a trade union.

(11) Nothing in this Article shall be construed as preventing a duty to comply with a request made in relation to the accounting records of a branch or section of a trade union from arising where the request is made by a person who, although he was a member of the union at the time of his request and at a time during the period to which the records relate, was not a member of that branch or section at one or both of those times.