| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision for election to certain positions in trade unions and with respect to ballots held in connection with strikes or other forms of industrial action; to require trade unions to compile and maintain registers of members' names and addresses; to amend the law relating to expenditure by trade unions and unincorporated employers' associations on political objects; and to amend sections 1 and 2 of the Employment Act 1980. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1984 c. 49 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 July 1984 |
| Repealed | 16 October 1992 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Trade Union Act 1984 was a law in the United Kingdom that required all trade unions to hold a secret ballot before calling a strike. The majority of the act did not apply to trade unions based in Northern Ireland.[1] The act was repealed on 16 October 1992.[2] Sir Peter Bottomley, an employment minister, reportedly said that the act was "designed to ensure that trade unions are more democratic and their leaders more accountable to their members."[3]
The act also required unions to elect a new general secretary every five years and to validate funds every ten years.[4]
Kenneth Clarke, who is a politician for the Conservative Party (UK) reported that, at a point approximately two years after the passing of the bill, 19 unions changed the practice to comply with the act.[5] The act also says that those who are in high up positions in the union must "be accountable to the membership [of the union] as a whole."[6]
- ^ "TRADE UNION ACT 1984 (TUA 84)". European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ "Trade Union Act 1984 (repealed 16.10.1992) (c. 49)". Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ Bottomley, Peter (5 March 1985). "Trade Unions (Reform)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ Moher, James. "Trade unions and the law – history and a way forward?". historyandpolicy.org. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ Clarke, Kenneth (21 January 1986). "Trade Union Ballots". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ Ellis, Norman (8 December 1984). "Impact of the Trade Union Act 1984 on the BMA". British Medical Journal. 289 (6458): 1637–8. doi:10.1136/bmj.289.6458.1637. PMC 1443865. PMID 6439354.