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Employment Tribunal Rules To Change

Posted by: admin    Tags:      Posted date:  April 19, 2013

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New rules designed to streamline the employment tribunal process are set to come into
force this summer.

Jo Swinson, Employment Relations Minister announced the measures on 14 March.

The government said its plans were designed to streamline the tribunal process and make it easier for parties to navigate through it. They include:

• new powers to ensure that weak cases that should not proceed to a full hearing
  are halted at the earliest opportunity

• making it easier to withdraw and dismiss claims by cutting the amount of
  paperwork required

• a new procedure for preliminary hearings that will combine separate
  pre-hearing reviews and case management discussions. This will reduce the
  overall number of hearings, saving time and costs for all involved.

Jo Swinson said: “We are committed to finding ways to resolve workplace disputes so they don’t end up with two sides in front of a tribunal.

“Employment tribunals are costly in terms of time, money and stress for everyone and they should always be the last resort, not the first port of call.

“Our effort to review all areas of employment law, not just tribunals, are about making sure business can get on and grow, while employees have the necessary protections in place.”

The new rule is due to come into force this summer.