The government has issued a consultation seeking views on transforming the Employment Tribunal system with the aim of helping people navigate their way to the best solution.
The government recognises that steps need to be taken to ensure that the complexity of the language, process and systems is reduced and that access to justice is improved. It is proposing a number of changes which are summarised below:
- An online system digitising the process for claims to the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. The system will also enable electronic communication between individuals and the tribunal in the party’s own time, making the process more flexible.
- Delegating a broad range of routine tasks from judges to caseworkers.
- Ensuring that more straightforward cases can be dealt with swiftly and resolved by “simple methods” so that the cost and speed of the process is proportionate to the type of case under consideration.
- Tailoring the composition of tribunal panels to the needs of the case so as to ensure that panel members without legal expertise are not asked to sit on panels requiring knowledge of complex legal matters.
The consultation is open for responses until 20 January 2017. ARC welcomes members’ views on the consultation. Any comments can be submitted to ben@arc-org.net.
The consultation document can be found here.
