Supreme Court unanimously finds that trade union can exercise third party rights under C(RTP)A 1999 to enforce check-off term in employment contract (Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and others v Public and Commercial Services Union)

Article summary

On 20 November 2024, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and others v Public and Commercial Services Union (the Union). In a unanimous decision, in which Lord Sales and Lady Rose delivered the leading judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal brought by the Union, and held that the Union were entitled to rely on third party rights under section 1 of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (C(RTP)A 1999) to enforce a term in the relevant members’ contracts of employment providing for ‘check-off arrangements’, which was unilaterally removed by its members’ employers. The Supreme court confirmed the correct approach to applying C(RTP)A 1999, s 1(2) and held that, in the absence...