15 June 2015

The government has announced a review into employment tribunal fees.

It’s convenient timing for the Ministry of Justice to announce a review, given Unison’s tribunal fees judicial review in the Court of Appeal is just a few weeks away.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Tribunal fees have been a gift for Britain’s worse bosses allowing many to flout the law. Charging people up to £1,200 to pursue a claim has priced thousands out of justice and ruined lives.

“Women and the lowest paid have been the worst affected. Individual claims are still falling and are 69 per cent down on their total before fees were first introduced.

“This review is a welcome, if long overdue, announcement. However, it must not shy away from telling hard truths. It has to be transparent and prepared to recommend abolishing the current system.

“If it all it does is come up with half-measures then it is likely to be viewed by many as a political stitch-up. Tribunal fees need to be scrapped urgently.”

One of the review’s cited objectives is “to review the impact of fees in the Employment Appeals Tribunal, including the scheme of fee remissions, to determine how successful this has been in…maintain[ing] access to justice”.

The IER has produced a resource documenting how successful ET fees have been in acting as a barrier to justice; available here.