Review of Employment Tribunal Fees

The Government review of the Employment Tribunal Fees: Is this bad news for employers?

Employment Tribunal fees were introduced in 2013. Since then, there has been a significant fall in Employment Tribunal claims and an increase in people seeking out the help of ACAS to resolve disputes via conciliation.

The Government has now published its long-awaited review of the fees system. The review makes proposals to raise awareness of the fee remission scheme and make it more accessible to employees by proposing to raise the income threshold at which full remission is available.

What does this mean for your business?

Put simply, if the government proposals go ahead, it could result in an increase in tribunal claims as more employees will be able to receive help with fees allowing them to submit claims.

For those employers who have a lot of employees earning minimum wage, the fee remission system will allow them to bring claims easily and without the worry of paying fees.

The proposal to increase access to the fee remission system is subject to a consultation process which is currently taking place. The consultation process closes on 14th March 2017.

Watch this space

The Government’s conclusions on the impact of fees will be tested before the Supreme Court. Unison initially brought proceedings challenging the fee system which was rejected by the High Court and Court of Appeal. Unison was granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court and the case is due to be heard on 27th and 28th March 2017.

Back in 2015, the Scottish Government pledged to scrap tribunal fees however, it will be interesting to see if this is still their intention following the conclusion of this consultation.

Currently, Northern Ireland do not have tribunal fees.

The information in in this article is intended for general guidance on this topic and does not constitute legal advice.

If you require advice on a specific matter, or would like to find out how Citation can support you, call us on 0345 844 1111 or contact us today.