Connect Meets Vodafone at Central Arbitration Committee

Today Connect met Vodafone in a formal hearing at the Central Arbitration Committee. The purpose of the hearing was to decide on whether Regional Operations North is a viable unit for collective bargaining.

Vodafone is arguing that nothing short of the whole of Regional Operations could be a viable bargaining unit. Connect, having listened to your views and your perspective on working in Vodafone, can see no good reason why collective bargaining cannot start off in Regional Operations North. Obviously, we have ambitions to extend into other areas of Regional Operations - and also into other parts of Vodafone, as we build up support. But we still believe that Regional Operations North would be a viable bargaining unit.

We hope to get a decision from the CAC panel on Friday of next week, and will let members know the situation as soon as we hear. Remember - this is only a decision about the appropriate bargaining unit, not about recognition - that will be the next stage in the statutory process, where we will have to demonstrate that there is majority support for collective bargaining within the approved bargaining unit.