Where a trade union has sufficient support in a workplace, there is a legal procedure that it can use to secure recognition from the employer, as explained elsewhere in this Guide (statutory procedure for recognition). If an employer is ordered to recognise a union but cannot agree a method of bargaining with it, the Central Arbitration Committee will prescribe a method. If a bargaining method is imposed in this way, the employer is obliged to consult with the union on training issues. The detail of this obligation is set out in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. In summary, the employer must meet with union representatives at least once every six months, in order to consult with them on its training policy and the training it has planned for the period up to the next meeting, and to report on the training carried out since the previous meeting.
At least two weeks before each meeting, the employer must provide the union representatives with the information they need to participate fully in the meeting and any additional information that it would be good industrial relations practice to disclose. The employer must also take into account any written representations the union makes in the four weeks after the meeting.