Employment Tribunals Shake Up With The Coalition Government

Changes to the way that Employment Tribunals work

The Coalition Government are in the process of reviewing and changing employment law. In the latest development they have published details of changes to the way Employment Tribunals will work.

Unfair Dismissal

Employees who started a new job after April 6 this year will need to work for their employer for two years or more before they can claim unfair dismissal. Employees already employed before that date need only 1 years service.

Tribunal Costs

New fees will be introduced for employees who wish to use the Employment Tribunal system. For the first time there will be a fee to issue a claim and a further fee if the case goes to a full hearing.

The fees to issue a claim will range from £160 to £250 and the hearing fees range from an additional £230 to £950. The level of fee will depend upon the type of claim being brought but all but the simplest cases will incur the higher fees. If the employee is successful the Tribunal may order the employer to reimburse these fees. There will also be a system in place to waive fees for those who are unable to pay.

The fees are expected to be in place by summer 2013.

The purpose of the fees are to meet some of the Government’s costs in running the Tribunal system, which was £84 million last year. It is expected that this will also reduce the number of claims brought in the Tribunal, particularly low value claims.

Paul Whitfield can be contacted on 0161 283 1276 or paulw@foxwhitfield.com