1 April 2015

Labour have pledged to abolish employment tribunal fees.

Since the introduction of ET fees in July 2013 there has been a 80 percent drop in the number of employment tribunal claims.

The manifesto states that; “Labour will reform the employment tribunal system to ensure workplace justice is affordable.”

The manifesto also includes proposals to have workers sit on pay committees, and a commitment to an inquiry into the blacklisting of workers.

Additionally, Ed Miliband has pledge to clamp down on the use of zero hours contracts, which he has described as an “epidemic” that is “undermining family life”. Although not the first time Miliband has spoken out against ZHCs, this time he is putting his money where his mouth is by stating that “A Labour government would pass a law that gives employees the right to a regular contract after 12 weeks of working regular hours”

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Today’s proposals will restore some much needed fairness and democracy to the workplace.

“Abolishing tribunal fees and exploitative zero-hours contracts will make it much harder for Britain’s worst bosses to mistreat their staff and undercut good employers.

“And putting workers on to company pay committees will help regain public confidence in executive pay which has shot up by 26 per cent in real terms in the life of this government.

“We need employment rights that are fit for the Twenty-First Century and make people feel secure and productive at work. It is time to end the hire and fire culture of recent years.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “David Cameron has presided over an economy which has seen living standards plummet while the world of work has become increasingly insecure.

“His is a record of people working harder, but getting poorer while protections and access to justice to right the wrongs of bad bosses have been ripped up.

“Decent people have been shut out of justice and cheated out of wages while rogue bosses have been given a free hand to discriminate thanks to his government’s introduction of tribunal fees”.

Read the IER’s Access to Justice resource here.