The Central Arbitration Committee has restated, in a GOV.UK notice updated on 24 July 2026, that all applications and complaints should first be submitted electronically to enquiries@cac.gov.uk. The underlying instruction is brief, but for parties using the CAC’s statutory dispute process it operates as the entry point before any case can move forward. (gov.uk)
The administrative point matters because the CAC is not a general complaints mailbox. According to the committee’s GOV.UK profile, it is an independent body with statutory powers dealing with trade union recognition, disclosure of information for collective bargaining, information and consultation disputes, certain European Works Council matters and some employee-involvement complaints linked to the UK Societas framework across England, Scotland and Wales. The same page states that the committee has 45 members and is supported by a London-based secretariat of 12, which helps explain why a single electronic route remains the default channel for new matters. (gov.uk)
For employers, trade unions and employee representatives, the practical effect is straightforward: use email first, then ensure the correct jurisdictional form and supporting material follow. The CAC publishes separate guidance and forms across its jurisdictions, including recognition, disclosure of information, information and consultation, and residual transnational consultation matters, so an incomplete or misdirected submission can delay the point at which the other party is invited to respond. (gov.uk) There is also a distinction between statutory complaints brought to the CAC about workplace disputes and complaints about the CAC’s own service. On service complaints, the committee says most concerns should first be raised with the person handling the matter, otherwise by email to the same enquiries address, with escalation to chief executive Maverlie Tavares and then, through an MP, to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if the issue remains unresolved. (gov.uk)
This otherwise limited notice comes after a more substantive process change earlier in the year. In a separate CAC notice published on 6 April 2026, the committee said the statutory recognition scheme had been reshaped by the Employment Rights Act 2025, updated the Part I Schedule A1 application and response forms, and warned that new recognition applications submitted on or after 6 April 2026 without the required request letter and employer response, where applicable, will be rejected. (gov.uk) That means the email-first instruction should not be treated as a mere clerical reminder. It now sits alongside a tighter submission standard in the CAC’s main recognition jurisdiction, where form, timing and accompanying evidence carry direct procedural consequences. (gov.uk)
The committee’s own annual report shows why those process details matter. For 2024/25, the CAC recorded 77 cases across all jurisdictions, compared with 87 in the previous year, and said 81 cases were concluded or withdrawn; within that total, 63 cases concerned trade union recognition. The report also recorded 17 voluntary agreements reached after applications had been filed, noted an increase in disclosure of information complaints, and said the CAC received five applications or complaints under the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations after four years without any. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Further procedural pressure is likely later in 2026. The Department for Business and Trade’s consultation outcome on trade union right of access states that revised draft code provisions and secondary legislation were laid before Parliament on 6 July 2026, with the new framework expected to come into force in October 2026 subject to parliamentary approval; the consultation documents also state that the CAC will determine questions about access and the level of fines for breaches of access agreements. (gov.uk) Operationally, this notice does not create a new substantive right or duty. Its significance is administrative: in a period of wider change in union recognition and workplace access, the CAC is signalling that digital submission, correct forms and complete supporting papers are the starting point for any case that requires formal consideration. (gov.uk)