Employment Protection Act 1975

19 Complaint of failure to disclose information

(1) An independent trade union may present to the Central Arbitration Committee, in writing in such form as the-Committee may require, a complaint that an employer has failed to disclose to representatives of that trade union information which he was required to disclose to them by section 17 above, or to confirm any such information in writing in accordance with subsection (5) of that section.

(2) If on receipt of such a complaint the Committee is of the opinion that the complaint is reasonably likely to be settled by conciliation, it shall refer the complaint to the Service and shall notify the trade union and employer accordingly, whereupon the Service shall seek to promote a settlement of the matter.

(3) If the complaint is not settled or withdrawn and the Service is of the opinion that further attempts at conciliation are unlikely to result in a settlement it shall inform the Committee of its opinion.

(4) If the complaint is not referred to the Service under subsection (2) above, or, if it is so referred, on the Service informing the Committee of its opinion in accordance with subsection (3) above, the Committee shall proceed to hear and determine the complaint and shall make a declaration stating whether it finds the complaint well-founded, wholly or in part, and stating the reasons for its finding.

(5) On the hearing of a complaint under this section any person who the Committee considers has a proper interest in the complaint shall be entitled to be heard by the Committee, but a failure to accord a hearing to a person other than the trade union and employer directly concerned shall not affect the validity of any decision of the Committee in those proceedings.

(6) If the Committee finds the complaint wholly or partly well-founded, the declaration shall specify—

(a) the information in respect of which the Committee finds that the complaint is well founded;

(b) the date (or, if more than one, the earliest date) on which the employer refused or failed to disclose, or, as the case may be, to confirm in writing, any of the information specified under paragraph (a) above; and

(c) a period (not being less than one week from the date of the declaration) within which the employer ought to disclose, or, as the case may be, to confirm in writing, the information specified under paragraph (a) above.

(7) On a hearing of a complaint under this section a certificate signed by or on behalf of a Minister of the Crown and certifying that a particular request for information could not be complied with except by disclosing information the disclosure of which would have been against the interests of national security shall be conclusive evidence of that fact; and a document which purports to be such a certificate shall be taken to be such a certificate unless the contrary is proved.