Government Consultation on Employment Fees underway
The Government is currently consulting about the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals across the UK. Employment Tribunals are currently free to use and have been since 1965. The Government seem fully intent in bringing such fees in (expected with effect from April 2013) and are only consulting about the way in which they bring them in. One proposal is for a separate issue fee and then a hearing fee, with a combined cost of £1,200 for an unfair dismissal claim and £1,500 for a discrimination claim. This gets even higher in ‘collective’ claims, such as those typically brought by trades unions, with a Protective Award claim for 201 or more employees where an employer had failed to adequately inform and consult a union about large-scale redundancies (such as in the claim we are currently pursuing against Jarvis on behalf of hundreds of redundant employees) possibly costing as much as £7,200 and a multiple equal pay for 201 or more employees possibly costing as much as £9,000.
The Government’s agenda is clear – to deter individuals who have been unfairly dismissed or poorly treated from being able to afford to bring a Tribunal claim. Our view is that such fees are unfair and will hit individuals when they can least afford it, such as straight after being unfairly dismissed and whilst out of work.
David Sorensen, a partner within our Employment Rights Team, is a member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association’s working party dealing with the ELA’s response to the Government’s consultation on fees. This firm is also assisting a number of trades unions and charitable bodies in drafting their responses to the consultation.
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For further information please contact Morrish Solicitors on 0113 245 0733
