On 23 October 2025, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) updated its guidance on case intake, requesting that all applications and complaints be submitted electronically in the first instance to enquiries@cac.gov.uk. The notice appears on GOV.UK as a CAC news update and clarifies the preferred route for initiating proceedings.
The instruction applies across the CAC’s workload, which includes disputes about information and consultation arrangements, European Works Councils and European Company matters, alongside union recognition and derecognition cases. GOV.UK guidance for these regimes sets out how parties bring cases and references email as a standard channel for contacting the CAC.
Where no prescribed form exists, CAC guidance specifies the essential content of an email submission: the applicant’s name and contact details, the other party’s details, the relevant regulation or statutory basis, and a brief statement of the complaint. Sending that information by email aligns with the updated email‑first instruction.
After submission, the CAC acknowledges receipt, invites the other party to respond, identifies panel members and allocates a case manager as the point of contact. Next steps can include requests for further information, an informal meeting, or a formal hearing before a written decision is issued.
Where prescribed forms do exist-particularly under the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations-CAC materials continue to provide forms and state they may be sent by post or email using the contact details provided. The latest notice indicates that, wherever possible, those forms and accompanying documents should now be sent electronically as the first step.
Jurisdiction remains unchanged. For matters arising in Northern Ireland, applications should be made to the Industrial Court rather than the CAC, as GOV.UK guidance explicitly notes for European Works Council cases.
Recent documentation reflects the same contact point. The Unfair Practices application form for union recognition and derecognition complaints, published on 25 September 2025, directs accessibility requests to enquiries@cac.gov.uk and sets out the Schedule A1 statutory route for complaints.
For service‑quality complaints about the CAC itself, the organisation’s complaints procedure directs initial correspondence to enquiries@cac.gov.uk. For general queries, GOV.UK also lists a telephone number-0330 109 3610-which may help with triage before written submissions are sent.