As of Monday, the Government are changing the rules on bringing claims in employment tribunals. If you want to bring a claim it will cost you £250 just file the claim and then a further £950 to get it to a hearing, if it gets that far. The idea is that it will stop spurious claims, my argument is, by all means charge to stop spurious claims (the solicitors will stop most no hopers at the first hurdle anyway), but make it £50-£100 not £1200.
This effectively means pretty much anyone on a modest wage will not be able to afford the fees and their rights will just have gone out of the window. There will be some fees remission for people on benefits and low income but, only if your total household income does not exceed between £18,000 and £23,000 gross, yes folks, thats gross, pay.
We have already seen the qualifying period for employment rights moved from 1 year to 2 (which in fairness will help small businesses). However, these reforms effectively exclude anyone with a modest income from bringing a claim. What household in the country has £950 down the back of the sofa when one wage earner is out of work?
So, this opens the door to employers summarily deducting wages, sacking people without notice, bullying, unfairly dismissing, discriminating and maybe even a bit of sexual harrasment thrown in. Unless you can afford to pay £1200 in court fees (or qualify for the remission), there will be absolutely nothing you can do about it.
In September, we also get another pernicious piece of legislation which allows employers to offer shares in the company in return for the employee waiving their rights to unfair dismissal claims, redundancy pay and flexible working. The shares in the company are not voting shares and have no powers attached to them so are largely worthless. You can just imagine the conversation now "That's the terms, do you want the job or not".
These particular pieces of nastiness have been brought in because Adrian Beecroft wrote a report for the government saying the system needed to be balanced towards employers. This is the same man who owns Wonga.com and the same man who was taken to a tribunal by one of his employees when they had been treated appalingly. Oh yes, and this is the same man who made a very large donation to the Conservative Party shortly before being asked to write his report.
All this is nasty, mendacious and it absolutely stinks...rant over
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AIBU?
To think this is unfair, unjust, pernicious and downright nasty.
75 replies
Fifilosttheplot · 25/07/2013 12:13
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