The Certification Officer has published notice of three forthcoming hearings involving Unite the Union, Unison and the Fire Brigades Union. The cases are scheduled between 27 May and 5 August and will all be heard remotely using Zoom, setting out the next tranche of formal union governance disputes to come before the regulator. For members and officials, the notice is more than a diary entry. The Certification Officer deals with statutory complaints about whether a trade union has complied with its own rule book, and a listed hearing means those issues are moving into a formal adjudicative stage.
The first case listed is Blackburn and Unite the Union, due to be heard on 27 and 28 May. According to the Certification Officer's notice, the applicant has made one complaint under section 108A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, alleging that the union breached its rules in relation to disciplinary proceedings. In practical terms, that places the focus on whether the union followed its own internal procedures when handling discipline. Section 108A is the route by which a union member can ask the regulator to determine whether a union has acted outside its rule book on matters covered by the legislation.
The second hearing is Flaherty and Unison, listed for 15 and 16 July. In that case, the Certification Officer says the applicant has brought one complaint under section 108A alleging a breach of a union rule connected to Unison's election for the National Executive Council. That gives the case wider significance than a purely procedural dispute. Elections to a union's national executive shape internal leadership, policy direction and member representation, so any allegation that the rules governing that process were not properly followed is likely to draw close attention from both members and governance specialists.
The third and most extensive matter is Munslow and Fire Brigades Union, scheduled for 4 and 5 August. The notice states that the applicant has made 11 complaints under section 108A, alleging breaches of union rules in relation to disciplinary proceedings and or the constitution or proceedings of a decision-making meeting. The number of complaints suggests a broader challenge to process than in the two earlier cases. Where disputes touch both disciplinary action and the conduct of a decision-making meeting, the regulator's examination can extend across how authority was exercised, how meetings were run and whether the union's constitutional requirements were observed.
The Certification Officer has also confirmed that all three matters will be heard remotely using Zoom video conferencing facilities. Anyone wishing to join a hearing remotely is asked to contact the Certification Office by email at info@certoffice.org or by telephone on 0330 109 3602. The notice also includes an access statement. People with a disability who need help attending a hearing are invited to contact the Certification Office to discuss any reasonable adjustment required, indicating that participation arrangements can be adapted where necessary.
Taken together, the listings are a concise but important regulatory update on trade union accountability. They do not determine the merits of the complaints, but they do show which allegations about disciplinary fairness, constitutional compliance and election administration are now proceeding to hearing before the statutory regulator. For unions, the underlying message is straightforward: internal rule books remain legally important documents, not merely internal guidance. For members, the hearings are a reminder that section 108A provides a formal mechanism for testing whether those rules have been followed when disciplinary decisions are made, executive elections are run or key meetings are conducted.