Q – Is this survey of the Clarivate bargaining unit just for Unite members?
A – No this survey is for all Clarivate employees who are covered by the recognition/collective agreement with Unite. All Employees in the bargaining unit (members and non-members) are encouraged to fill this in.

Q – Will Clarivate management and/or HR know which way I personally voted in the survey?
A – No absolutely Not!
The Final results of the survey will only be provided as total percentages of YES and NO to Clarivate management. If a verification of the results is requested, Unite will engage the sevices of ACAS who are bound in law by strict confidentiality requirements. If the survey results are required for a statutory trade union recognition claim, this information will be passed to the CAC in confidence (the same confidentiality requirements apply to the CAC as ACAS).

Q – What is the deadline for me to respond to this survey?
A – The Survey will close on 07/02/2022 at 17:00 – ensure your response is submitted before this deadline.

Q – Can UNITE members outside the bargaining unit complete the survey?
A – No, this survey should only be completed by employees who are covered by the recognition/collective agreement with Unite (whether a unite member or not). Once the matter of the recognition agreement reaches a conclusion, Unite will be engaging in further dialogue with all our membership at Clarivate, whether covered by the collective agreement or not.

Q – Will Clarivate Management be bound by the survey results?
A – No, but if Management claim their decision to derecognise Unite is motivated by what employees want, why would they ignore this survey if it tells them something different?
In the event a majority indicates it wishes to retain the collective bargaining arrangement with Unite, the options available to your management include –

  • Reversing their decision to derecognise Unite and continuing with the current agreement
  • Granting an extension to the current agreement whilst Unite and Clarivate undertake further talks either directly or through ACAS to work through any concerns.
  • Continuing with their decision to derecognise.

A clear demonstration of majority support for keeping the collective bargaining arrangements will be strongly persuasive if external bodies such as ACAS or the Central Arbitration Committee become involved and enable Unite to explore these options on behalf of the bargaining unit.

Q – Will Unite be bound by the survey results?
A – Yes, Unite is a democratic trade union that respects the wishes of the majority in all key decisions, in the same way we do when members vote on pay offers and changes to terms and conditions.

Q – I’m worried about giving my details to Unite, how will my data be used?
A – As per the statement on the front page of the survey, Unite will only use your data for the purposes of determining whether the majority of the bargaining unit want to keep union recognition or agree with management derecognising Unite. It will not be used for any other purpose other than evidencing majority support and at the conclusion of this matter and any proceedings with ACAS or the CAC, the information you provide in this survey will be deleted.

Q – Clarivate Management say Unite can still be involved and I can still be a member of the union if I need help, Why does the agreement matter?
A - Collective bargaining is a process that gives employees (members and non-members) rights and places some obligations on an employer.

The rights of employees covered by a collective agreement include –

  • The right to information for collective bargaining purposes in advance of negotiations
  • The right to collectively negotiate annual pay increases and changes to terms and conditions (including how much of a pay pot the bargaining unit gets and how it is distributed for an annual pay review)
  • The right to elect workplace representatives
  • The right to elect health and safety representatives
  • Trade union reps & officials also conduct collective consultation on behalf of employees at risk of redundancy or in scope of a TUPE transfer**

Employers are obliged to grant these rights and negotiate with a trade union that is recognised.
In addition to the above, all employees have the right to –

  • join a trade union
  • if a member of a trade union, be accompanied by workplaces representatives to grievance and disciplinary meetings
  • Most employers also permit reps to accompany members to individual redundancy consultations**

These three rights above would be all that’s left if the company derecognises Unite and employees accept this decision.
Some employers do talk to unions informally about collective matters when not formally recognised however there is no obligation to do so or negotiate/consult meaningfully as without formal recognition, a trade unions representations on behalf of employees for any topic can be disregarded.
** For collective redundancy & TUPE consultations with no recognised union, employees must elect consultation reps which may or may not be trade union members. Only employees at risk of redundancy or in-scope of a TUPE transfer can be a rep in these circumstances

Q – I’m undecided and still have questions about what derecognition could mean for me, who can I speak to?
A – A Unite full time official (Matt Whaley) is happy to speak to any Clarivate employee in the bargaining unit if they have concerns or comments. He can be reached via email at [email protected]