The Law Society has described
Government plans to introduce fees for taking claims to employment
tribunals and Employment Appeals Tribunals as creating a barrier to
justice.
The proposed fees are intended
to transfer costs of running the employment tribunal system to
users and to encourage employers and employees to resolve disputes
without going to tribunal.
Law Society President John
Wotton has warned that the scheme will undermine access to
justice.
'Many people who have just
lost their job and are facing financial uncertainty will be unable
to pay fees of between 150 and 1250. The inevitable
effect of introducing fees will be to deny such people the right to
have their heard in a tribunal. Access to justice in employment
matters will be confined to those with the means to afford these
fees. '
Ends
Notes to editors:
The HM Courts and Tribunals
Service provides a fee remission system for users of the English
and Wales civil and family courts. A system of fee waivers is
available to those who would have difficulty paying a court fee and
meet the appropriate criteria. The consultation paper proposes that
this remission system be extended to the proposed fee structure in
employment tribunals.
The Government is currently
consulting on its intention to introduce fee-charging into the
Employment and Employment Appeals Tribunal. The Law Society
submitted its consultation response today.
The Law Society is the
independent professional body, established for solicitors in 1825,
that works globally to support and represent its members, promoting
the highest professional standards and the rule of law.
Contact: Catherine Reed, The Law
Society
+44 (0)20 7320 5902