Certification Office for Trade Unions and Employers' Associations

This collection contains: papers concerning applications by trade unions for refunds of costs of secret postal ballots, 1980-1996.

The Certification Office for Trade Unions and Employers' Associations was established under section 7 of the Employment Protection Act 1975 which provided for the appointment by the Secretary of State, after consultation with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, of a Certification Officer. This appointment took effect on 1 February 1976.

Under the act the Certification Officer took over functions in relation to trade unions and employers' associations exercised previously by the Registry of Friendly Societies before the passage of the Industrial Relations Act 1971 and after its repeal under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974. He also took custody of returns etc. under various trade union acts held by the Registry of Friendly Societies, including those submitted to the former Registry of Trade Unions and Employers' Associations, established under the Industrial Relations Act 1971.

Reference: administrative history in National Archives catalogue.

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

The applications were deposited by the Certification Officer beginning in May 1998. Additions were made in May 1999, July 2000 and June 2001.

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/COT

There are no restrictions on the use of this archive, apart from the requirements of copyright law.

The Certification Office originally destroyed all papers after six years (when they ceased to be relevant for audit purposes). Papers from 1989/90 have been kept, but weeded by the Certification Office. Further appraisal and disposal took place during cataloguing.

The rest of the Certification Office archive is held at the National Archives (reference CL).