The Supreme Court has agreed to a hearing in a five-year case for 55 people who were awarded compensation in excess of £420,000 from their former employer, Kostal UK Limited.

The case stems from 2015, when Kostal attempted to bypass Unite during pay negotiations for unionised workers, writing to employees urging them to accept their offer or risk losing their Christmas bonuses or, worse, their jobs. It was the first pay talks at the company after staff voted for Unite to be their recognised trade union.

An employment tribunal in February 2017 ordered the Rotherham-based firm to pay the staff, which was upheld in a later employment appeal tribunal launched by Kostal.

A Court of Appeal hearing last year overturned the employment tribunal, leading to fears that the staff would not secure the compensation, however the Supreme Court’s decision re-opens the door for the employees’ collective bargaining.

Unite the union, with the support of Thompsons Solicitors, will back the 55 members at the Supreme Court hearing, with a date due to be set soon.

Unite’s assistant general secretary, Howard Beckett, commented: “This is a case which goes right to the heart of trade union recognition and the right to collectively bargain. It is one that we will continue to pursue to protect trade union rights and to get justice for our members.”

Paul Shevlin, of Thompsons Solicitors, added: “Thanks to the Supreme Court, the 55 employees - who have been battling for almost half a decade – have this avenue to access justice.

“We hope that the upcoming hearing will uphold the decision of the employment tribunal, resulting in the trade union members receiving the compensation they have fought for and concluding that, once and for all, employers cannot bypass recognised trade unions.”