Employment tribunal fees sacked

Trade union, UNISON, has won a landmark court victory against the government.

In July 2013, employment tribunal fees were introduced by the government to try and encourage early settlements of disputes and discourage weak or malicious claims.

The Supreme Court have ruled that the current system prevents access to justice and is unlawful.

Depending on the claim, employees have been forced to pay up to £1,200 to take their case to a tribunal. Since the introduction of these fees, employment claims have dropped in frequency by approximately 70%.

Justice Minister Dominic Raab has confirmed that the tribunal service will stop charging fees with immediate effect, and steps will be taken to refund all those who have paid fees since the introduction of the scheme – estimated to be over £27 million.

For further information on employment tribunal fees, visit: https://www.citation.co.uk/news/hr-and-employment-law/employment-tribunal-fees-to-be-scrapped/ and https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2017/07/tribunal-fees-victory/.