Government review into tribunal fees must not be a “political stitch-up”, says TUC

date: Thursday 11 June 2015
embargo: For immediate release

The TUC has today (Thursday) welcomed the announcement that there will be a review into the impact of employment tribunal fees, but warned that it must not be a “political stitch-up”.

New figures published today by the Ministry of Justice show that the number of single employment tribunal claims brought by individuals between January and March 2015 was 25 per cent lower than over same period in 2014.

The figures also show that single claims are 69 per cent lower than they were between January and March 2013 – shortly before employment fees were introduced

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.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Today’s figures from the Ministry of Justice show that multiple employment tribunal claims have seen a small annual rise but are still well down on their January to March 2013 level before fees were introduced. The recent increase in multiple claims is the result of trade unions pursuing cases for members following the European Court of Justice’s decision on holiday pay in November 2014.
- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
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Contacts:
Media enquiries:
Alex Rossiter  T: 020 7467 1285  M: 07887 572130  E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
Tim Nichols  T: 020 7467 1337  M: 07876 452902  E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk
Clare Santry  T: 020 7467 1372  M: 07717 531150  E: csantry@tuc.org.uk
Kay Atwal  T: 020 7467 1385  M: 07941 547469  E: katwal@tuc.org.uk