Kate retired from RWA in 2020.
The end of Employment Tribunal fees – Access to justice for all
The Supreme Court has this week given its ruling that tribunal fees (introduced in 2013) are unlawful, restricting access to justice and should, therefore, be scrapped.
Fees can be as much as £1200 per claim and refunds will be made to those affected over the past 4 years.
That’s great news for employees, but what does it mean for employers?
Tribunal cases have dropped dramatically since the introduction of fees – some figures quote as much as 70% - and, whilst the original intention was to decrease the number of ‘vexatious’ claims in reality those employees most likely to be adversely affected were those on low pay and women. The judge specifically mentioned that the ruling was discriminatory against female employees for a number of reasons.
In light of this reversal it is more important than ever now that employers begin to examine what processes and procedures they have in place that can mitigate the risk of action being brought by employees – and the notion of risk management should be a familiar one to all you brokers reading this!
Reassessment of how disputes are approached and managed, with due consideration to the policies you have is essential. If you haven’t had an RWA HR Risk Audit in the last 3 years – or at all – then now is the time to contact us. We can help you to identify what changes you might need to make.
Remember, for many RWA clients the audit is either free or subsidised by our partners; if you are not an RWA client yet, then an HR Risk Audit is a low cost solution that will help you identify your risks before it's too late – contact us directly for more information, before you need emergency intervention.
Kate Foreman
Director of People and Learning