7.4 Hierarchy of Trade Unions

The three-tier design (the Act's structure): The enterprise-level union (the workplace's base — the members' direct organisation; the first collective's unit); The industry-wise federation (the same-industry unions' federation — the sector's collective voice; the industry-level bargaining's vehicle); The national federation (the federations'-and-unions' national centre — the labour movement's apex; the national policy's dialogue; the international affiliation's route — the global-union federations' faces). The hierarchy's law: the affiliation's freedom (the union's choice of the higher body); the autonomy's discipline (the higher body's non-interference in the enterprise union's internal governance — the democratic structure's protection); the inter- union relations (the rivalry-and-recognition questions — the bargaining agent's certification as the competition's legal resolution). Exam Focus Long questions: (i) The trade union — meaning, and the registration's machinery with its effects; (ii) The union's functions (the five) + the authority's governance; (iii) The three-tier hierarchy with the autonomy's discipline. Short questions: the legal personality; the registrar's refusal; the federation; the bargaining agent's link. Trick areas: (i) The registration confers the STATUTORY STATUS — the unregistered association exists (the freedom) but cannot exercise the Act's collective machinery; (ii) The enterprise union is the BASE — the bargaining agent's certification happens at the enterprise level (the majority's test); (iii) The federation does not REPLACE the enterprise union — the affiliation's autonomy is the design; (iv) The…