Download - Chapter 1 Preliminary matters - Amazon Web Servicesetclaims.s3.amazonaws.com/ETClaims_Chap1.pdf · Preliminary matters 3 read this first: time limits 1.1 If you think you might want

�

Chapter 1

Preliminary matters

1.1 read this first: time limits

�.4 Interim relief: claim within 7 days of dismissal

�.7 Other cases: 3 months plus the conciliation period

1.17 read this second: whether to bring a claim

�.20 How much will I get if I win?

�.25 How much will it cost to run?

1.36 read this third: mitigation

1.38 Sources of employment law advice and representation

�.40 Trade unions

�.4� Insurance

�.43 Voluntary sector advice agencies LawCentres•CitizensAdviceBureaux•TheFreeRepresentationUnit

andtheBarProBonoUnit•LawWorks•Specialistcharities•TheEqualityandHumanRightsCommission

�.55 Private practice solicitors

�.57 Barristers offering ‘public access’

�.60 Employment consultants

�.6� ACAS Helpline

1.63 Making the most of your adviser

1.72 representing yourself

1.78 Outline of the employment tribunal process

continued

ETC4 chapters.indd 1 22/11/13 11:01:30

2 EmploymentTribunalClaims / chapter1

1.80 Sources of employment law

�.9� Books

�.94 Key employment cases Unfairdismissal•Conductdismissal•Proceduralfairness•Incapacity

dismissal•Redundancydismissal•Constructivedismissal•Trustandconfidenceterm•Whoisanemployee?•Discrimination•Mitigationofloss•Appeals

1.95 the tribunal’s powers

1.105 General note on correspondence

�.�22 Telephone calls

1.125 File and diary management Precedent1.128:Attendancenote

1.130 time recording Precedent1.131:Timesheet

1.132 Key dates and time limits

1.142 Interim relief

�.�42 What it is

�.�43 When you can get it

�.�46 Deciding whether to try for interim relief

�.�49 How likely are you to get it?

�.�5� What you have to do


Preliminarymatters 3

read this first: time limits

1.1 Ifyouthinkyoumightwanttobringaclaimintheemploymenttribunal,theveryfirstthingyouneedtoknowishowlongyouhavetodecide.Doyouhavetogetyourclaimintodayortomorrow,orhaveyougotafewweeksorevenamonthortwotothinkaboutit?

1.2 Asignificantnumberofclaimantslosetheirclaimsbecausetheymissthecomparativelyshortdeadlinesinvolvedintribunalclaims.Even ifa lateclaimisallowedtoproceed–which is theexceptionratherthantherule–gettingitbackinwillinvolvestressanddelay.

1.3 Thismeansthatitisimportanttoconsiderthetimelimitimmediatelyandtoerronthesideofcaution.Donotregardthedeadlineasatarget.Onceyouhavedecidedtobringaclaim,trytodosoimmediately.Evenifyouneedtodelayalittle,aimtohavetheclaimlodgedatleastafewweeksbeforethedeadline.Thiswillprotectyoufromerrorsincalculatingthedeadlineandgiveyouamarginofsafetyifanythinggoeswrong.

Interim relief: claim within 7 days of dismissal

1.4 If you think you’ve been dismissed because of trade union activities,orformakingaprotecteddisclosure,orforanumberofotherspecificprohibitedreasons,youmaybeabletoaskthetribunalfor‘interimrelief’. Interimrelief isveryvaluable,because it stops thedismissaltakingeffect(atleastsofarasyourwagesareconcerned)untilafterthetribunalhasdecidedyourunfairdismissalclaim.Thecatchisthatyouhavetoapplyforitwithin7daysofdismissal.Ifyoudon’t,youmaystillhaveaclaimforunfairdismissal–butyouwon’tgetinterimrelief.

1.5 So if you’re reading thiswithin a fewdaysofhavingbeendismissed,youneedtoworkoutwhetheryouhaveapossibleclaimforinterimrelief.Ifyoudo,andyouwanttotakeadvantageofit,you’regoingtoneedtomoveveryfastindeed.

1.6 There isguidanceonwhatyouneed todo toapply for interimreliefatpara1.144below.

Other cases: 3 months plus the conciliation period

1.7 Fromsometimeinearly2014,otherclaimswillbecomplicatedbytheintroductionofarequirementtonotifytheAdvisory,ConciliationandArbitrationService(ACAS)ofaclaim,andwaitforawhiletogiveACAS theopportunity to see if theycanbringabouta settlement,



beforepresentingaclaimtothetribunal.Thisiscalledthe‘earlyconciliationperiod’.Bearinmindthatatthetimeofwritingthisbook,compulsoryearlyconciliationisnotyetinforce,andthedetailoftheschemecouldstillchange.We’llputinformationaboutanychangesontheblogthatsupportsthisbook:www.etclaims.co.uk.

1.8 There’sdetailedguidanceaboutcompulsoryearlyconciliationatparas2.1–2.25below.Butwhatyouneedtodourgentlyisworkoutwhat thebasic time limit is forpresenting your claimso that youknowwhetheryouareclosetoit.

1.9 Mostclaimsareaboutdismissal,onewayoranother.Ifyouarecomplainingofunfairdismissal,orthatyourdismissalwasanactofunlawfuldiscrimination,thebasictimelimitis3monthslessonedayfromthelastdayofyouremployment.Thelastdayofyouremploymentisnormallythelastdayyouattendedwork,orthedayyouweretoldthatyouweredismissed,whicheverislater.So,forexample,ifyouweredismissedon26February2014,youneedtotakethefirststepinyourclaimonorbefore25May2014.

1.10 But if you alsowant to complain about things that were donebeforeyouremploymentended,youwillmostlyhave3monthslessone day from the date of the act or omission in question. So, forexample, if you applied for a promotion and didn’t get it becauseofyoursexorrace,youwillneedtotakestepstostartyourclaim3monthslessaday,atthelatest,fromthedayonwhichthedecisionwastaken.

1.11 Discriminationclaimscanpresentdifficultiesastherewilloftenbe allegations about a number of discriminatory acts on differentdates.Sometimesitwillbepossibletoarguethattheseallformpartofthesamecontinuingact,butthatargumentcanbecomplicated.Thesafestcourseistotreatthenormaltimelimitasexpiringthreemonthsaftertheearliestoftheactsthatyouwanttocomplainabout.Ofcourse,thismaywellbeimpossible–becauseyouhaveputupwithmistreatmentforweeks,monthsorsometimesyearsbeforeyoudecide that youhave to start employment tribunal proceedings. Ifthat’sthecase,thenonceyouhavemadethatdecision,youneedtopresentyourclaimassoonasyoupossiblycan.

1.12 Multipleclaims(inthesenseofcaseswheretheclaimanthasanumberofdifferentcomplaintsagainsttheemployer)areverycommon: they are probably the rule rather than the exception. Mostcomplaintsaboutdismissalareaccompaniedbyawagesclaim,oracontractclaim;manyareaccompaniedbyadiscriminationclaimaswell.Discriminationclaimsmaybeagainstboththeemployerandtheindividualcolleaguewhohasdiscriminated.



1.13 Givecarefulthoughttowhattherelevantlimitationperiodisforeachclaimseparately.Sometimestheperiodswillcoincideoroverlap,butyoucan’tassumetheywillallbethesame.

1.14 Ifyouhaveworkedoutyourbasiclimitationperiod,anditendsverysoon–saytodayortomorrow–whatdoyouneedtodo?Thatdependswhetherornotearlyconciliationisinforceyet.

1.15 Ifearlyconciliationisinforce,youneedtosubmitanearlyconciliationrequesttoACAS.Hereearlyconciliationhelpsyou,becausesubmittingtherequesttoACASwillbeeasy.Andhavingdonethat,youcanbreatheagain:you’vegotuntilamonthafterACASsendsyouyourcertificateofearlyconciliationtopresentyourclaimtotheemploymenttribunal.

1.16 Ifearlyconciliationisn’tinforce,youneedtopresentyourclaimatonce.Seepara2.90forguidanceonhowtodraftashortclaimthatwillbesufficientlyinformativetostartyourclaim.

read this second: whether to bring a claim

1.17 Nowthatyouhaveworkedouthowsoonyouneedtostartyourclaimifyou’regoingto,youcanturnyourmindtowhetheryoushould.Ifyou’rerightupagainstthedeadline,submitanearlyconciliationrequesttoACASanyway,andthendecidewhetheryouwanttotakeitfurther.

1.18 Foralawyer,thequestionwhetheraclaimshouldbebroughtisnormallyapproachedbywayofthreequestions:

whataretheprospectsofsuccess?howmuchcompensationwillbeawarded(orwhatotherbenefitwillitbring)ifitsucceeds?andwhatwillitcosttorun?

1.19 Theprospectsofsuccessofanygivencasewilldependentirelyonitsownfacts,butitispossibletomakesomegeneralremarksaboutthequestionsofultimatebenefit,andcost.

How much will I get if I win?

1.20 People bring claims for many reasons. Money is rarely the onlymotive,andoftennotthemostimportantone.Allthesame,thisisoneof thequestions you should askbefore you start employmenttribunalproceedings.Theanswerdependsonthetypeofclaimandawholehostofotherspecificcircumstances.Thisbookisnotabout

••

•



how to calculate damages in the employment tribunal, althoughsomepracticaladviceisgiveninchapter10.

1.21 But it isuseful tosaysomethingabouthowtribunalsapproachawardingmoneyandhowmuch,onaverage,peopleget.

1.22 Inmostcases,theideawillbetocompensateyouforwhatyou’velost because of theunlawful conduct that forms the basis of yourclaim. There are exceptions, but they tend to involve fairly smallsums.Ifyouremploymenthasended,yourmainargumentwillbeaboutlostearnings.Ifyourclaimisfordiscrimination,youwillbemakingaclaimforinjurytofeelingsaswell:mostawardswillbeofafewthousandpoundsandawardsover£25,000arerare.Ifdiscriminationhascausedsignificantinjurytoyourhealth,youwillbelookingforanawardforthat,too:yourstartingpointinassessingthisisprobablytheJudicialStudiesBoard’sGuidelines for the assessment of general damages in personal injury cases.1

1.23 In any casewhere you are claiming lost earnings because youhavelostyourjob,youwillbeunderadutyto‘mitigate’yourloss.Whatthatmeansisthatjustbecauseyou’vebeendismissed,howeverunfair(ordiscriminatory)thedismissal,youcan’texpecttositbackandclaimlostearningsuntilyourretirementage.Youareexpectedtotrytofindanotherjob.Iftherearegoodreasonswhyyoucan’t,orwhyanyjobyouarelikelytogetwillbeforamuchlowerwagethanyouwereearningbefore,you’llneedtobeabletoexplainwhy.Youwillalsoneedevidence,andyoushouldstartcollectingthatevidenceassoonasyoudecidetobringyourclaim(seepara10.37).It’sfairlyrare that tribunals award compensation to covermore thana yearortwo’slostearnings–afewmonths’ismoreusual.There’snowalimitofayear’spay(or£74,200ifyouearnmorethanthatinayear)onwhatyoucanrecoverascompensationformosttypesofunfairdismissal.There’snolimitintheorytowhatyoucangetfordiscriminationorforawhistleblowingdismissal,butthatdoesn’tmeanthatawardshavetobehuge.

1.24 In2012/13, themedianawardforunfairdismissalwas£4,832.Don’tletnewspaperreportsofawardsinthehundredsofthousands,or evenmillions, give you thewrong idea.Tribunals do occasionallymakeverylargeawardsindiscriminationcases–andthose,ofcourse,aretheonesthathittheheadlines–buttheyarerare.2Thebestwayofgettingahugeawardistohaveanextremelywellpaidjob

1 11thedn,2012,OUP. 2 Inanycase,newspaperreportsofpeopleclaimingmillionsofpoundsareconsiderablymorecommonthanreportsofpeoplereceivingmillionsofpounds.



tostartwith:ifyou’rebeingpaidinthehundredsofthousandseveryyear,thenyou’llclockuplargelossesinashortperiodoutofwork.Ifyou’reearninganormalsalary,youwon’tgetalargeawardunlessyourclaimisofakindtowhichtheunfairdismissalcompensationlimitdoesn’tapplyandyoucanshowthatyouarelikelytosufferaverylongperiodoffutureloss.Becauseofthedutytomitigate,that’susuallydifficult.

How much will it cost to run?

1.25 You need to consider this question carefully from all angles. Thequestionhowmuchmoneywill need tobe spent on the claim is,ofcourse,animportantone.Evenifyouareactingforyourself,orareluckyenoughtohavefreerepresentation,therewillbefinancialcosts:thebiggestcostislikelytobetribunalfees,butyou’llalsohaveto factor in travel, telephone calls, postage, photocopying, fees forexpertreports,etc.Butyoushouldthinkhardaboutthenonfinancialcostsofrunningacaseagainstyourformeremployer,too.3

1.26 The first thing to notice is just how important the employer/employeerelationshipcanbefortheemployee.Obviouslythisvaries:the25yearoldgraduateinhisthirdjobinthelastfouryearswillfeelmuch lessattachment tohisemployment thanthefiftysomethingwhohasbeenwiththesameemployersinceleavingschoolat16.Butinmanycases,losingyourjobdoesn’tjustmeanlosinganincome:itcanmeanlosingmuchofyourreasonforgettingupinthemorning,dailycontactwithpeoplewithwhomyouhaveasharedhistoryandcircleofacquaintance,yourstatus,yourselfesteemandmuchofyoursociallifeaswell.

1.27 Theimportanceoftheemploymentrelationshipisnotsymmetrical.Most employees have a considerable emotional investment intheirjobs.Employersdon’tasarulehaveanyparticularemotionalattachmenttotheiremployees.Althoughthebodiesthatemploystaffactthroughhumanbeings,andthoseindividualhumanbeingscanbekind andwellmeaning, thebody itself doesnot–whatever itsmissionstatementorstaffhandbookmaysaytothecontrary–‘care’.Itsimplylackstheequipmentwithwhichcaringisdone.

1.28 Both factorsmake litigation tempting. Being an employee canhavesomethingincommonwithbeingthechildofapsychopathic

3 Mostemploymenttribunalcasesconcern,onewayoranother,theterminationoftheemploymentrelationship,sowerefertothe‘formeremployer’herealthoughclaimsarealsooccasionallybroughtagainstacurrentemployer.


� EmploymentTribunalClaims / chapter1

parent:youhavealargeemotionalinvestmentinarelationshipwithsomethingthatdoesnotcareaboutyouatall.Litigationcanseemliketheonlywaytoshoutloudlyenoughtoforcethepsychopathtopayattention.Asignificantproportionoftribunalcasesaremotivatedasmuchbypersonalfeelingsofrejectionandbetrayalasbyarealisticorwelljudgedexpectationofwinningsufficientcompensationto justifythecostoftheclaim.

1.29 Thisisnotagoodbasisonwhichtolitigate.Becausetheemployment relationship is so important to an employee, its terminationoften causes significant distress, and not infrequently depression.One of the consequences, ultimately, of an employment tribunalclaimmaybethattheemployerhastopaytheformeremployeesomemoney.Occasionally thiswill be a large sumofmoney, butmoreoftenitwillbemodest.

1.30 Veryrarely,theemployerisorderedtoreinstateorreengagetheemployee;evenmorerarelyissuchanorderobeyed.In2012/13,outofatotalof4,596unfairdismissalcomplaintsupheldbythetribunals,5resultedinanorderforreinstatementorreengagement.Thestatisticsdon’tshowhowmanyofthoseordersactuallyresultedintheemployeereturningtowork,butourbestguessispreciselynone.‘Togetmy jobback’ is abad reason tobring a claim: you almostcertainlywon’t.(Thatdoesn’tmeanit’sabadideatotryforreinstatementorreengagement.Ifyouintendtobringaclaimanyway,itcanbeaverygoodidea:seefurtheratpara6.37.)

1.31 Thepricethatyouwillpayfortheseuncertainbenefitsisalongperiodinwhichyoumustdwellontheeventssurroundingthetermination;studyall thecorrespondenceandassociateddocumentationindetail;giveastatementtoanadviserorsolicitor(orwriteityourself);draftorapprovetheclaimtothetribunal;readandcommentonyouremployer’s response; correspondwith theemployeroritssolicitor;andultimately,unlesstheclaimsettles,undergohostilecrossexaminationandlistentoyouremployerjustifyitsconductduringthehearing.Theeffectisthatyoumustkeepsomekindofrelationshipgoingwithyourformeremployer,andyoumustallowtheeventssurroundingorprecedingtheterminationofemploymenttodominateyourthoughts–andverylikelyyourdreamstoo–overaperiodofmonthsoryears.

1.32 Forallthesereasons,ifyouremploymenthasendedinstressanddepression, litigating about itwill almost certainlymake itworse.Claimantsoftensaysomethingtotheeffectof:‘IfIhadknownwhatthiswasgoingtobelike,Iwouldneverhavebegun.’Buthereanothermechanismcomesintoplay.Litigationisaformofgambling,and



gamblingisnotoriouslyaddictive.Lossesarepartofthereason:youmaywishyouhadneverbegun,buttheheavieryourlossestodate,themorepainfulanddifficultitistoadmitthattheyhavebeensuffered fornothing.From thispoint it is aneasypath toobsession.Litigationcanseriouslydamageyourmentalhealth.Sociallivesandmarriagescansufferorcrumbleunderthestrain.Onepointtokeepclearlyinmindisthatonthewhole,theangrieryoufeelaboutthewayyouremployerhastreatedyou,thehigherwillbetheemotionalcostsandrisksoffightingthecase.

1.33 Itissensibletolitigate(a)ifyouhaveto;or(b)whereyouhaveapointyouwanttomake,buttheoutcomeisnotofenormouspersonalimportancetoyou,andthefinancialcostsarebornebysomeoneelse;or(c)ifthereisafairlyclearprobabilitythatthecosts–emotionalaswellasfinancial–willbejustifiedbythebenefits.Thefirsttworarelyariseinemploymentlitigation.

1.34 Inanearliereditionofthisbookwesaidthattheconclusiontoallofthisisthatlitigation–evenintherelativelyinformalandlowriskenvironmentoftheemploymenttribunals–isalmostalwaysabadideaonceyouhavetakenintoaccountthefactorsthatlawyersdonotconcernthemselveswithaswellasthosethattheydo.4Westillthinkthis isbroadlytrue,but inthecurrenteconomicclimatethereisagreaterlikelihoodofbeingeffectivelyforcedintolitigationbyfinancialneed.

1.35 Amiddlewaycanbetomakethedecisiontocommenceproceedingspurelyinordertoachieveasettlement,whileresolvingthatitwillbewithdrawnifnotsettledduringtheearlystages.5Thisislikegamblingwithasetbudget.Itmayrequireconsiderablefirmnessofpurpose to stick to youroriginal intention abouthowmucheffortandmoneyyouwillcommitbeforecuttingyourlosses,butifyoucandothatitisworthconsidering.

read this third: mitigation

1.36 If youdodecide tobringaclaim,you’realmostcertainlygoing tobelookingforcompensationattheendofthecase.Thatwillfeela

4 Thisisnocriticismoflawyers.Itisasreasonabletoexpectyourlawyerstohelpyoudecidewhethertheemotionalcostsoflitigationareworthincurringastoexpectyourpriestortherapisttoprovidelegaladvice;theirexpertiseiselsewhere.

5 Theresolutionhastobemadeprivatelyofcourse:itwillbefutileiftheemployerisawareofit.


�0 EmploymentTribunalClaims / chapter1

longwayoffatthispoint–anditmaywellbealongwayoff,becauseclaimscaneasilytakeayearormoretogetheardbyanemploymenttribunal.Butthequalityofyourevidenceofmitigationcanmakeabigdifferencetohowmuchcompensationyouareawarded.

1.37 There’sguidanceonthissubjectatparas10.37–10.42,inthechapteraboutcompensationtowardstheendofthisbook.Butifyou’rearegoingtobringaclaimyouneedtoreaditnow,becausethedutytomitigate arises as soon as you lose your job. If youdon’t thinkaboutituntilafewweeksbeforethehearingofyourclaim,itwillbetoo late tostartmitigatingyour loss–andmuchharder toassembleyourevidenceofmitigation than if youhavebeencollecting itsystematicallyallthewhile.

Sources of employment law advice and representation

1.38 Thisbookispartlyaimedatindividualsrepresentingthemselvesinemployment tribunal claims. The employment tribunal process isintended to be accessible to people without specialist knowledge,andmanyindividualsdorepresentthemselves.Nevertheless,mostpeoplewillprefertohaverepresentationiftheycanfindit.

1.39 If youcan’tafford topaysubstantial sumsofmoney for representationyoushouldconsiderthepossibilitiesoffreeoraffordablerepresentationinthisorder:

yourtradeunion;yourhousehold,creditcard,car(etc)insurance;avoluntarysectoradvicecentre;highstreetsolicitors/barristersofferingpublicaccess;employmentconsultants.

Trade unions

1.40 Ifyouareamemberofatradeunion,youshouldnormallyexpecttoberepresentedbytheunioninadisputewithhisemployer.Unionshavedifferentrulesaboutwhichcasestheywillsupport.Oftenitwilldependonwhethertheythinktheclaimislikelytosucceed.Somewillwithdrawsupport(evenshortlybeforethehearing)ifyourefusetoacceptwhattheunion’slawyersthinkisagoodofferofsettlement.Ifyouarerelyingonunionassistanceyoushouldmakesurethatyouunderstandthecircumstancesinwhichitwillbewithdrawn.

•••••


Preliminarymatters ��

Insurance

1.41 Household (and other) insurance policies include legal expensesinsurancesurprisinglyoften.Thistendstobeaneglectedsourceofassistanceforthesimplereasonthatmanypeopledon’trealisethattheyhavethecover.

1.42 Itcanbeextraordinarilygoodvalue:theinsurancemaycoveralllegal expenses, including specialist representation at the hearing,withnoclawbackevenifyourecoveralargeaward.Itisimportanttoinvestigatethisatanearlystageinthedispute,however,becauseif you take steps in employment tribunal proceedingswithout theadviceofaninsurerapprovedlawyer,youmayyoufindthatyouhaveinvalidatedyourinsurance.6

Voluntary sector advice agencies

1.43 Therearevariouskindsofvoluntarysectoradviceagenciesthatmaybeabletoofferfreeadviceand/orrepresentation.Almostallofthemarebadlyoverstretched,andmanyclaimantswill spend fruitlesshourstelephoningadviceagenciesonlytobetoldthatnoonecanhelp.However,someagencieswilldeliveranexceptionalservicethatrivalsthebestthatprivatepracticesolicitorscanoffer,so(withinlimits)itisworthpersevering.Theprocessmaywellbefrustrating,butifyou’reseekingfreerepresentation,trynottoletthefrustrationshow.Mostly‘wecan’thelp’meansjustthat–theorganisationsimplyhasnosparecapacity,ordoesnotdothissortofwork.Ifthere’sanyflexibility,humannatureisasitisandcharmalmostalwaysgetsfurtherthanaggression.7

1.44 Most voluntary sector advice agencies belong to an umbrellaorganisation,andthatorganisation’swebsitewilloftenbethebeststartingpointforfindinglocalservices.Themainumbrellaorganisationsandtheirwebsiteaddressesare:

LawCentres:LawCentresNetwork:www.lawcentres.org.uk;CitizensAdviceBureaux(CABx):CitizensAdvice:www.citizensadvice.org.uk;Otheradviceagencies:AdviceUK:www.adviceuk.org.uk.

6 Itisalsoworthcheckingmotorinsuranceandanypolicyattachedtocreditcards,andanyothermembershipthatmightincludeinsurance.Evenmembershipofafootballclubhasbeenknowntoprovidethistypeofbenefit.

7 There’sapracticalinsightofwideapplicationhere.Evenwhereaggressionmaybeeffective,alwaystrycharmfirst.Thereasonisthatthiswayaround,youcantryboth:ifcharmdoesn’twork,youcanstilltryaggression.Buthaveyoueverstartedwithaggressionandthenbacktrackedsuccessfullytocharm?It’stricky.

••

•



LawCentres

1.45 LawCentresare,ineffect,notforprofitsolicitors’practicesthatspecialise inwhat isbroadlydefinedas ‘socialwelfare law’– typicallyhousing,immigration,employmentandwelfarerights.Mostifnotalllawcentresoperateacatchmentareapolicyandwillonlyadvisethosewholive(orsometimesworkorworked)intheirarea.Manywillonlyacceptclientswhoarefinanciallyeligibleforpublicfunding,andtherestarelikelytoimposesomekindofmeanstestonaccesstotheirservices.Somestillemployanemploymentlawyerorspecialistadviser,buttheseservicesareunderseverepressurebecauseoflegalaidcuts.TheLawCentresNetworkwebsitecurrentlylists51lawcentresintheUK,roughlyhalfofwhichareinGreaterLondon.Mostoftherestareinsubstantialtownorcitycentres.

CitizensAdviceBureaux

1.46 CABx tend to offer a generalist service, and only a few employ aspecialistemploymentadviser.CABxdonotgenerallyhaveacatchmentareapolicyandwilladviseanyonewhoapproaches,subjecttoavailabilityofadvisers.Theydonotgenerallymeanstesttheirclientsexceptforpubliclyfundedwork.Therearearound426CABxinEnglandandWales:anysizeabletowncentreislikelytohaveone.TheumbrellagroupiscalledCitizensAdvice.

TheFreeRepresentationUnitandtheBarProBonoUnit

1.47 InLondon,theFreeRepresentationUnit(FRU)cansometimesprovide representation at employment tribunals, but it does not dealdirectwithmembersof thepublic.Casesmustbereferred,afterahearingdatehasbeenfixed,byasolicitor,lawcentre,CABorotheradviceagency.8Claimants inLondonwhoarereceivingadviceandassistanceforcasepreparation,butwhoseadviserisnotabletorepresentthematahearingshouldmakesuretheircasesarereferredtoFRUassoonasahearingdateissettohavethebestchanceofrepresentation.MostFRUvolunteersarestudentortraineelawyerswhoworkunderthesupervisionofaspecialistemploymentlawyer.Theychoosetheirowncases,ratherthanhavingcasesassignedtothem,soFRUcanneverguaranteerepresentationinanygivencaseuntilaparticularvolunteerhasofferedtotakeiton.

8 FRUonlyacceptsreferralsfromsolicitorsandadviceagenciesthataresignedupwiththeorganisationandpayanannualsubscription;forfurtherdetails,andalistofsubscribingagencies,seewww.freerepresentationunit.org.uk.


Preliminarymatters �3

1.48 TheBarProBonoUnit (BPBU) is a charity fundedby theBarCouncilandothersthatmatchesclientsinneedoffreerepresentationwithbarristerswillingtogivetheirtime.Becausethekindofworkbarristersarepermittedtodoisrestricted,BPBUisbestabletoassistclientswhoarerepresentedbyasolicitor’sfirmoradviceagencythatiswillingtoretainconductofthecaseandinstructthebarristertododefinedpiecesofwork–todraftadocument,forexample,orappearat thehearing.LikeFRU,BPBUwillonlyacceptreferralsfromanadvice agency. Itwill not deal directwithmembers of the public.UnlikeFRU,BPBUputsapplicationsforassistancethroughacarefulsifttodecidewhetherornottoofferhelp,soanapplicationtoBPBUshouldalwaysbemadeasearlyaspossible.BPBUitselfislocatedinLondon,butitsservicesarepotentiallyavailablethroughoutEnglandandWales.AswithFRU,thefactthatBPBUhasacceptedareferralisnoguaranteethatitwillbeabletoassist.TheUnit’swebsiteiswww.barprobonounit.org.uk.

LawWorks

1.49 LawWorks is a solicitors’ pro bono organisation.9 Like BPBU andFRU,itacceptsapplicationsforassistanceonlythroughadviceagencies.LikeBPBU,itappliesbothmeansandmeritstestsbeforeoffering assistance. An application form can be downloaded from itswebsite.

Specialistcharities

1.50 Some of the larger disability charities, including RNIB (RoyalNational Institute for the Blind) and the Disability Law Service,employspecialistadviserswhocanadviseandsometimesrepresentindisabilitydiscriminationcases.PublicConcernatWorkprovidesahelplineonwhistleblowingissuesbutdoesnotundertakecasework.TheTerrenceHigginsTrustprovideshelplineadviceonHIVstatusemploymentissues,andmaybeabletoreferontootheragenciesforcasework.10

1.51 Thisisnotacomprehensivelist,andpoliciesandpersonnelcanchangerapidly,soitisalwaysworthinvestigatingcarefullywhetherthereisaspecialistcharitythatmaybeabletohelp.

9 See:www.lawworks.org.uk.10 Thewebsitesoftheseorganisationsare:www.rnib.org.uk,www.dls.org.uk,www.pcaw.co.ukandwww.tht.org.uk.



The Equality and Human Rights Commission

1.52 TheEHRCisthestatutorybodyresponsibleforallaspectsofequalitylaw.Thatmeansthattheycoverdiscriminationonthegroundofsex;race;disability;sexualorientation;religionandbelief;pregnancyandmaternity;mariageandcivilpartnership,genderreassignmentandage.Theyalsodealwithhumanrights,butthisisoflimitedrelevanceintheemploymentcontext.

1.53 TheEHRCwebsiteprovidesguidanceonequalityrightsandtribunalclaims.11

1.54 Inveryrarecasestheyareabletoproviderepresentationforacasewheretheresultwouldaffectalargenumberofotherindividuals.

Private practice solicitors

1.55 Ifyouareeligibleforpublicfunding(ieyourcaseisaboutdiscrimination,andyouaredependentonmeanstestedbenefitsoronaverylowincome),youmaybeabletofindasolicitorwhocanadviseandassistwithpreparationof thecase.There isnopublic funding forrepresentationatthetribunalhearinginanybutthemostexceptionalcases,soclaimantswhotakeadvantageofthisschemearelikelytofindthattheyeitherhavetorepresentthemselvesattribunalorpayprivatelyforasolicitororabarristertorepresentthem.Ifyourcaseisn’taboutdiscrimination,the2013legalaidreformsmeanthatyouwon’tgetanypubliclyfundedadviceorrepresentation,howeverlittlemoneyyouhave.

1.56 Thedecisiontopayprivatelyforemploymentlawadviceshouldbeapproachedwithgreatcaution.Lawyers’feesmountupfrighteningly fast, and the total value of an employment tribunal claim isoftentoosmalltojustifythem.Somesolicitorsoffer‘nowinnofee’agreements,butthedrawbacktotheseisthat,becausethesolicitoristakingariskofnotbeingpaidatall,thefeeifthecaseissuccessfulwillnormallybehigherthanitwouldotherwisehavebeen.Therecanalsobesumsthatyouhavetopayanyway,suchasfeesformedicalorotherexperts’reportsorbarristers’fees.Occasionallythiswillbethebest,ortheonlypractical,wayofrunninganemploymenttribunalclaim,butifyouareconsideringtakingthiscourseyoushouldmakesureyouhavehadaveryclearexplanationofthe‘worstcase’outcomebeforemakingadecision.Itisalsoworthaskingsolicitors

11 See:www.equalityhumanrights.com.



toadvise,asapreliminarymatter,onwhetheranyinsurancepolicyyouhaveiscapableofcoveringlegalexpenses.

Barristers offering ‘public access’

1.57 Traditionally, barristers are specialist advocates who act when instructedbysolicitors;soyouwouldinstructasolicitorfirst,andthen,ifyouwantedtoand/oryoursolicitoradvisedthatyoushould,youwouldinstructabarristeraswell–probablymainlyforthehearing.

1.58 Somebarristersdonowacceptinstructionsdirectfromthepublicforcertainkindsofwork,soyoucanalsochoosetoinstructabarrister only. This can be quite an economicalway of running yourcase, because barristers have lower overheads than solicitors, andthatmeanstheytendtochargelowerhourlyratesfortheirwork.Andtheywill stillprobablychargeabrief fee for thehearing,soat thepointwherethecasereallystartstoeattime,youdoatleastknowinadvanceexactlywhatit’sgoingtocostyou.

1.59 Butbarristersareselfemployedindividuals,workingwithoutthestructureofasolicitors’firm.Theywillbejugglingthedemandsofyourcasewithothercourtwork,andtheywon’tasarulebeabletoleaveacolleaguelookingafteryourcasewhiletheyareunavailable.Soifyouinstructabarrister,youneedtobeconfidentthatyoucandotheadministrativepartsofasolicitor’sjobyourself:youwillprobablyneedtohandleallthecorrespondence,keeptrackofdeadlinesandsoon.

Employment consultants

1.60 Anumberoffirmsofemploymentconsultantsoffertheirservicesinthisareaandsomeofthesemarketaggressively.Proceedwithcaution if you’re thinkingofusingoneof these organisations.Checkfirst that they are authorised as a ‘regulated claimsmanagementservice’.Anyoneprovidingrepresentationinemploymenttribunals,forprofit,whoisnotaqualifiedlawyer,mustbeauthorisedbytheMinistryofJustice.12Ifanorganisationisnotregistered,don’tuseit.Unfortunately,beingproperlyauthorisedisnoguaranteeofquality.Theseorganisationsvarywidely:althoughsomecanprovideagoodandrelativelycheapservice,othersareworsethanuseless.

12 Youcancheckatwww.justice.gov.uk/claimsregulation.



ACAS Helpline

1.61 ACASrunanationalhelplinethatgivesemploymentadvicetobothemployeesandemployers.Thenumberis08457474747.

1.62 Telephoneadviceisinevitablylimited.Itisnotpossibletoprovidedetailedadviceduringashortconversationandwithoutseeingtherelevantpapers.Nonetheless, thehelplinecanbeagoodsourceofbasicadvice.

Making the most of your adviser

1.63 Mostofthisbookiswrittenforpeoplewhoareeitherrepresentingaclientintheemploymenttribunal,orarerepresentingthemselves.Theunderlyingassumptionisthatifyouareaclaimantinanemployment tribunalcasewhohasanadviser,youcan leaverunning thecasetoher.

1.64 Thatassumptionisnotcompletelyaccurate.Ifyou’regettingfreeadvice,thetimeyouradvisercanspendonyourcasewillbelimitedbytheotherdemandsonhertime–anddemandforfreelegaladvicevastlyoutstripssupply,sothechancesareshe’srushedoffherfeet.Ifshe’srepresentingyoubywayofLegalHelp,shewillbeoperatingundergrosslyunrealistictimelimitsimposedbytheLegalAidAgency.Andifyou’repayingforlegaladvice,thetimeyourlawyercanspendonyourcasewillbelimitedbyyourbudget:lawyersnormallychargebythehour.13Whateverthesituation,therewillalmostcertainlybealimit,andprobablyquiteatightone.

1.65 Casepreparationconsumestimeatafrighteningrate,soifyoudoeverythinginyourpowertolimitthetimeyouradviserhastospendonnonessentialtasks,ortasksshe’snobetterqualifiedthanyoutodo,youwillmaximisethetimeshehasavailableformoredifficultthings.

1.66 One of the simplest things you can do is provide your adviserwithawellorganisedsetofpapers.Takinglettersoutofenvelopes,removingstaplesandpaperclips,sortingpapers intochronologicalorder,weedingoutduplicates,photocopyingandholepunchingarealleasytasks–buttimeconsuming.Youwouldthinkitmadtopayanyone£100ormoreanhourtosortyourlaundry,butitissurprisinghowmanypeoplearepreparedtopaytheirlawyerstoputpapersintochronologicalorder.

13 Andinminimumsixminuteunits.



1.67 Be as focused as possible in the information you give to youradviser,andthewayyouanswerherquestions.Inordinaryconversation, aquestion is veryoftennot somucha request for specificinformationasapolitecuewhosepurposeistomakespaceforyoutotalkforabit.Ifitwasyourhabittobehaveinsocialsituationsliketheidealclientorwitness–justgivingasuccinctfactualanswerfocusedpreciselyonthequestionyouwereasked,andthenstoppingtowaitforthenextquestion–you’dsoonstopgettinginvitations.Butalegaladviser’squestionsarebesttreatedinpreciselythatway.

1.68 There are many sources of free information for people goingthrough employment tribunal claims, so try to get the answers toyourbasicquestionsthatwaybeforepayingyourlawyertotellyou.Wehopethatthisbookwillansweralotofquestions.Employment law: an adviser’s handbook14willprobablyanswermostofyourquestions about the substantive law.Even if you can’t find a completeanswer,alittleresearchislikelytorefineyourquestionandputyouinabetterpositiontounderstandtheanswer.

1.69 Ifyou’retryingtokeepyourlegalcostsdown,youcanalwaysask‘IsthatsomethingIcoulddomyself?’or‘WillitsavetimeifIdoafirstdraft?’whenyourlawyertellsyouthataparticularpieceofworkneedsdoing.You’llcertainlysavequitealotofyouradviser’stimeifyouwriteagoodfirstdraftofyourwitnessstatement.15

1.70 It’squitelikelythatatsomestageinyourcaseyouradviserwilltellyousomethingyoudon’twanttohear.Thismaybethatpart,orevenall,ofyoucaseis likelytolose.Oritmaybethatshedoesn’tthinkit’sagoodideatorunaparticularargument,orcallaparticularwitness.Lawyersaren’t always right, and it certainly canbeworthmakingthemdefendtheirjudgmentsaboutyourcase.Butit’salsoworthrememberingthatyouwenttotheminthefirstplacebecauseyoufeltyouneededspecialisthelp.Ultimately,ifyoutrytodictatetothemexactlyhowtorunthecase,theyarelikelytopointoutthatifyoudon’ttrusttheirjudgment,youarefreetosackthemanddothejobyourself.

1.71 Finally,bearinmindthatlawyersarepeople.Yourlawyerhasaprofessionalobligationtoact inyourbest interestsevenifyouarerude and aggressive, but having herwholeheartedly on your sideis better. Some consideration can go a long way. Your adviser isworkingonmanyothercasesatthesametimeasyours,andthere

14 TamaraLewis,10thedn,LAG,2013.15 Seechapter5forguidanceonwhatshouldgoinawitnessstatementandhowitshouldbeorganised.


�� EmploymentTribunalClaims / chapter1

willbetimeswhenshehastogiveotherworktoppriority,orisjustunavailablebecauseshe’sonholiday.

representing yourself

1.72 Ifyou’reunabletoobtainrepresentationfromsomeoneelse,youwillhavetorepresentyourself.There’snothingunusualaboutthis.Thetribunalisusedtoitandwill,toanextent,trytohelpyou.Tensofthousandsofclaimantsrepresentthemselvesintribunalseveryyear,andmanyofthemwintheircases.

1.73 Thatsaid,competentrepresentationhelps;andthebettertherepresentation,themoreitwillhelp.Thereasonsaresimple,ifunfair.Thebettertherepresentative,thebetterthecasewillbepresented.The right points will be taken, arguments will be presented persuasively and, perhapsmost importantly, witnesses will be crossexamined effectively. In general, an experienced lawyerwill do allofthisbetterthanaclaimantactingforhimself.Ifyou’reaclaimantactingforyourselfagainstanexperiencedlawyerrepresentingyourformeremployer,it’seasytofeeloverwhelmed.

1.74 But therearea few things tobear inmind.Crucially, althoughgoodrepresentationishelpful,otherfactorsaremoreimportant.Thebiggestfactorindecidingtheoutcomeofthecaseiswhatactuallyhappened.Ifonlearningthatyouwerepregnant,youremployersackedyouonthespotandthensentyoualettercomplainingofyourdisloyaltyinputtingfamilybeforeyourjob,you’llwinyourunfairdismissalandsexdiscriminationclaimhowevergoodyouremployer’srepresentation.Ifyou’reanairlinepilotwhoturnedupforworkdrunk,andyouweredismissedafteratextbookdisciplinaryprocess,you’llloseevenifyou’rerepresentedbythebestlawyerontheplanet.

1.75 Whatgoodadvocatescandoisinfluencetheodds.Ifthechancesofwinningareabout50/50,goodrepresentationmightmake it60/40.Whendealingwithremedy,representationmightmakethedifferencebetweenanawardof£34,000and£37,000.Thesedifferencesmatter,butnotsomuchthatyoushouldfeeldefeatedfromtheoutsetjustbecauseyou’rerepresentingyourself.

1.76 Remember,too,thatquitealotofwhattheotherside’slawyerwillbedoingwithherabilityandexperienceisn’taboutyourcaseatall.Lawyersdon’tdealwithonecaseatatime.Theydealwithdozens,orahundred.16Agreatdealoftheirworkismasteringthefactsof

16 Wheretheyfallonthisrangewilldependonwhatsortofpracticetheyhave.



allthesecasesfromastandingstart.Ifyou’reactingforyourselfyoudon’thavetodothat:youknowthefactsofyourcase,becauseyou’velivedthem.Thetribunalwillnormallybemoretolerantofyourmistakesthantheywouldbeofalawyer’s.Theywillexpecttodomoreworkthemselves.Theywillwantyoutoexplainwhyyouthinkyourdismissal was unfair or how youwere discriminated against. Buttheyshouldbewillingtotranslatewhatyousayintolegalconcepts.Similarly, theywillexpect tohave toengagemorecloselywith theevidence,includingquestioningwitnesses,thantheywouldifbothpartieswererepresented.

1.77 Finally,anyonefacingalawyerwithafearsomereputationshouldconsider this. Lawyerswith fearsome reputations generally chargefearsome fees.Thishas twopotentiallyhelpful implications.First,youremployermustbeseriouslyworriedtobespendingthismuchdefending your case.That probablymeans they think it is strong.Secondly, it pushes up the settlement value of the claim. If yourclaimislistedfora10dayhearingandyouremployerhasinstructedabarristerwhodoesn’tgetoutofbedforlessthan£2,000aday,that’s£20,000theywillsaveifcasesettlesevenbeforeyoutakesolicitors’feesintoaccount.

Outline of the employment tribunal process

1.78 Inverybroadoutline,theprocessfallsintofivestages:(1)theearlyconciliationperiod;(2)theemployee’sformalclaimandtheemployer’sresponse,presentedonformsET1andET3respectively;(3)requestsby each side for information and documents, and requests to thetribunal for orders if these requests are not voluntarily compliedwith;(4)preparationbyeachsideofallthedocumentsthatwillberequiredforthehearing:thewitnessstatements,anagreedbundleof all relevant documentary evidence, anywritten representations,chronologies,listsofissues,etc;and(5)thehearingitself.

1.79 Theremay be negotiations at any of these stages. The partiesarenormallyreferredtoastheclaimant(theemployeewhobringstheclaim)and the respondent (theemployer,whoresponds to it).Thebesttimeforthemisearlyon,beforeeithersidehascommittedagreatdealof timeandenergy (andprobablymoney) to thecase.Often,though,neithersidereallyfocusesonnegotiationsuntilthehearingisclose.



Sources of employment law

1.80 Therearebroadlytwosourcesoflawintheemploymenttribunals.Oneislegislation:thelawpassedbyparliament.Theotheriscaselaw,someofwhichconsistsofthecourts’interpretationsandexplanationsoflegislation,andsomeofwhichiswhatiscalled‘commonlaw’ – law that doesn’t come from legislation at all, but has beendevelopedovertheyearsbythecourts.(There’salsoEuropeanlaw,butforthemostpartthattakeseffectbywayofUKlegislation.)

1.81 Legislationandcaselawchangeallthetime.Employmentlawisoneof themostpoliticalareasof the law;successivegovernmentscan’tstopfiddlingwith it.Mostof themajoremploymentstatuteshavebeenregularlyupdatedsincetheycameintoforce.

1.82 Caselawtooisinaconstantstateofdevelopmentasthecourtsreachnewdecisions.Normally this isarelativelygentleprocessofrefiningwhathasgonebefore,butthereareoccasionalsuddenshifts.Thismeansyouneedtotakesomecareneedstoensurethatyou’rereferringtothecurrentlaw.17

1.83 Most tribunal cases are brought under a cause of action (seeglossary for an explanation of this term) created by a statute. Forexample, claims fordiscriminationongroundsof sex arebroughtunder theEqualityAct2010.Thereason theseclaimsarepossibleis that the Equality Act says such discrimination is unlawful andgivestheemploymenttribunals jurisdictiontodealwiththecases.WhatisunlawfulandwhatthetribunalcandoaboutitissetdownintheAct.

1.84 At the heart of the employment relationship is the contract ofemployment.Contract law iswhat’s calleda common lawsubject:thatis,itsmainprinciplesaretobefoundinpreviouslydecidedcasesratherthaninstatutes.18

17 TheButterworths Employment Law HandbookbyPeterWallingtonisacomprehensive(andannuallyupdated)collectionofemploymentstatuteswhichmostlawyerswilltakewiththemtothetribunal,andthetribunalwillalwayshaveavailableforitsownuseatthehearing.Thereisalsowww.statutelaw.gov.uk,anonlinedatabaseoflegislation.Thisprovidesupdatedversionsofalmostallprimarylegislation–thatistosay,ActsofParliament,butsecondarylegislationisonlypublishedthereintheforminwhichitwasoriginallyenacted.Unfortunatelyquitealotofemploymentlawisintheformofsecondarylegislation.

18 Thestandardpractitioners’bookisChitty on Contracts,(31stedn,Sweet&Maxwell,2013).Chittyisverycomprehensive,butislikelytobeforbiddinglytechnicalforanyonewithoutalegaltraining.It’salsoeyewateringlyexpensive.Theimportantpoint,fornonlawyers,issimplytobeawarethattherearetwodifferentkindsoflawoperatinginthisfield.


Preliminarymatters 2�

1.85 Employmenttribunalsmustapplycommonlawprincipleswhereappropriateaswellastherelevantstatutoryrules.Contractlawisoneexampleofthis,buttherearemanyothers.

1.86 Tocomplicatemattersfurther,there’sasubstantialbodyofEuropean employment law; and the European Convention onHumanRights,appliedintheUKbywayoftheHumanRightsAct1998,alsohasmanyapplicationsinthisarea.

1.87 Whetherthetribunalisconsideringastatutoryoracommonlawrule, cases thathavebeendecided in thepastby theEmploymentAppealTribunal(EAT)orhighercourtssetprecedentsthatmustbefollowedbytheemploymenttribunals.Courtsandtribunalsaregenerallyboundtofollowthedecisionsofhighercourts:so,forexample,theemploymenttribunalsmustdecidecasesinawayconsistentwiththepreviousdecisionsoftheEAT,theEATmustfollowtherulingsoftheCourtofAppeal,andtheCourtofAppealmustfollowitsownpreviousrulingsandtherulingsoftheSupremeCourt(previouslytheHouseofLords).19

1.88 Sometimes the argument between the parties will focus onwhetherornotthefactsofthecasearesimilarintherelevantwaytothefactsofapreviouslydecidedcase,sothattheresultintheearliercaseisbindingonthetribunalthatdecidesthelatercase.Thepartyseeking toapply theresult inapreviouscasewill say that the twocasesarealikeinallrelevantrespects;theotherpartywillarguethatthereisamaterialdifferencebetweenthecasesthatmeansthattheearliercaseneednotbefollowed.20

1.89 Theonlywaytogainaproperunderstandingof thisprocessofreasoningistoreadreportsofcases.Employmentcasesarereportedin two monthly series, the Industrial Case Reports (ICR) and theIndustrial Relations Law Reports (IRLR), both of which should beavailableinanylawlibrary.21

1.90 The standardmethod of referring to a case reported in one ofthese,orsimilar,seriesfollowsthepattern:Party v Other Party [2014]IRLR382.Thistellsyouthatthereportofthecasewillbefoundatpage382ofthe2014volumeoftheIndustrial Relations Law Reports.

19 UnliketheCourtofAppeal,theEATisnottechnicallyboundbyitsownpreviousrulings,butwillnormallybereluctanttodepartfromthem.

20 Thelatterkindofargumentisoftenreferredtoas‘distinguishing’theearliercase.

21 InLondon,theWestminsterReferenceLibrarystillmaintainsaspecialistlawcollection.Anyuniversitylawschoolwillhavealawlibraryandsomewillallowmembersofthepublictousereferencefacilitiesinsomecircumstances:askyournearestlawschool.



Inaddition,morerecentdecisionsof theEmploymentAppealTribunal,theCourtofAppealandtheSupremeCourtareallavailableonline.22

Books

1.91 Agreatmanybooksarepublishedonemploymentlaw,andthefollowingrepresentatinysampleofwhatisavailable.Employment Law: an adviser’s handbookbyTamaraLewisispublishedbyLegalActionGroup(10thedition,2013).Thisisanexcellentandaccessibleshortguidetothesubstantivelaw.ThesameauthorhasalsowrittenThe Claimant’s Companion: a client’s guide to employment tribunal cases,whichcanbedownloadedasapdffromthewww.londonlawcentre.org.uk.

1.92 Twoseriesthatyoucertainlywon’twanttobuy–becausetheyareextremelyexpensive–butyoumaywanttoconsultinalibraryifadifficultquestionarisesinyourcasetowhichyoucan’tfindtheanswerin one of the shorter books areHarvey on Industrial RelationsandEmployment Law (Butterworths) and the IDSHandbooks. ‘Harvey’isalargelooseleafpublicationinseveralvolumesthatexplainsthelawingreatdetailandisupdatedregularlythroughouttheyear.23TheIDSHandbooksareaseriesofshortorshortishguidesonspecificemploymenttopics:unfairdismissal,equalpay,tribunalpracticeandprocedure,continuityofemployment,andsoon.

1.93 Lawbooks ingeneral aredifficult to read if you’renotused tothem,butdon’t let them faze you. If youdon’tunderstand somethingthefirsttimeyoureadit,takeanotherrunatit.Ifyoustilldon’tunderstandit,trylookingupthesametopicinadifferentbook.Readthecasesreferredto,especiallyCourtofAppealcases:(some)judgesaresomeofthebestlegalwritersaround,andsometimestheywillexplainthingsmoreclearlythanthetextbooks.

Key employment cases

1.94 Therearecertaindecidedcasesthatdeterminepointsofsuchfundamental importancetoemployment lawthatall thoseadvisingintheareaneedtobeawareofthem,andpreferablytohavereadthem.

22 KeywebsitesareBAILII(BritishandIrishLegalInformationInstitute)www.bailii.org,theEATwebsiteatwww.employmentappeals.gov.uk,HMCourts&TribunalsServicewebsiteatwww.justice.gov.uk/about/hmctsandtheSupremeCourtatwww.supremecourt.gov.uk.

23 Itisalsoavailableasanonlinesubscriptionservice.



Notwoemployment lawyerswouldcompile thesamelist,andthedecisionwhethertolist10,50or100casesisarbitrary.Withthosereservations, the following isofferedasa selectionof someof thefundamentalcases–dividedintobroadsubjectareas–thatadvisersshouldbefamiliarwith.

Unfairdismissal

Post Office v Foley[2000]ICR1283,CA

Conductdismissal

Burchell v British Home Stores[1980]ICR303,EATLinfood Cash & Carry Ltd v Thomson[1989]IRLR235,EAT

Proceduralfairness

Polkey v AE Dayton Services[1987]IRLR503,HL

Incapacitydismissal

Lynock v Cereal Packaging Ltd[1988]ICR67

Redundancydismissal

Williams v Compair Maxam[1982]ICR156,EATMurray v Foyle Meats[1999]ICR827,HLW Devis & Sons Ltd v Atkins[1977]IRLR314,HL

Constructivedismissal

Western Excavating v Sharp[1978]ICR221,CA

Trustandconfidenceterm

Eastwood v Magnox Electric plc[2004]UKHL35,[2004]ICR1064

Whoisanemployee?

Ready Mixed Concrete v Minister of Pensions[1968]2QB497,CACarmichael v National Power[1999]ICR1226,HL

Discrimination

Igen v Wong[2005]EWCACiv142,[2005]ICR931

•

••

•

•

•••

•

•

••

•



Shamoon v Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary[2003]UKHL11,[2003]ICR337King v Great Britain-ChinaCentre[1992]ICR516,CANagarajan v London Regional Transport[1999]IRLR572,HLChief Constable of West Yorkshire Police v Khan [2000]ICR1169,HLGlasgow City Council v Zafar[1998]ICR120,HLVento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire[2001]IRLR124,EAT

Mitigationofloss

Wilding v British Telecommunications (BT) plc [2002]EWCACiv349,[2002]IRLR524

Appeals

Anya v University of Oxford[2001]EWCACiv405,[2001]ICR847Meek v City of Birmingham District Council[1987]IRLR250,CAKumchyk v Derby City Council[1978]ICR1116,EATYeboah v Crofton[2002]EWCACiv794,[2002]IRLR634Barke v SEETEC Business Technology Centre Ltd[2005]ICR1373

the tribunal’s powers

1.95 The tribunalsoperateunder theEmploymentTribunals (ConstitutionandRulesofProcedure)Regulations2013,24and inparticularunder Schedule 1 to the Regulations, the Employments TribunalRulesofProcedure.Thesearereferredtothroughoutthisbooksimplyasthe‘procedurerules’.

1.96 It’sworthwhiletoreadthroughtheregulationsandtheprocedurerulesatanearlystageinproceedingssoastobebroadlyfamiliarwiththescopeofthetribunal’spowers.25

1.97 Particularprovisionstonotearetheinterpretationprovisionsatregulation3andSchedule1rule1;theoverridingobjectiveatrule3andtheguidanceoncalculationoftimelimitsatrule4.Rules1–106arethemainrulesthatgovernmosttypesofproceedings,andrules29–40 (casemanagement), and75–84 (costs andpreparation timeorders)areofparticularpracticalsignificance.

24 SINo1237.See:www.legislation.gov.uk.25 Don’tattempttoreadthemindetail:justtakeaquickskimthroughthemsothatyouknowroughlyhowtheywork,andwhattofindwhere.

•

•••

••

•

•••••



1.98 Inthe2013rules,thecasemanagementpowershavebeen‘simplified’inaparticularlyunhelpfulway.Theold(2004)rulesgavealonglistofexamplesofthekindsofordersthatmightbemade.There’sadifferentandmuchshorterselectionofspecificpowersinthe2013rules;butthegeneralwordsofrule29makeitclearenoughtoanyonefamiliarwiththeoldrulesthatthetribunalcanandprobablywillcontinuetoexerciseallthepowersspecificallysetoutthere.

1.99 Thatbeingthecase, it’sworthknowingwhat theoldrulescovered.Theyspecificallyempoweredthetribunaltomakeorders:

abouthowtheproceedingsweretobeconducted;aboutthetimebywhichthingsweretobedone;thatapartyprovideadditionalinformation;requiringtheattendanceofwitnesses;forthedisclosureofdocumentsorinformation;extendingtimelimits;requiringtheprovisionofwrittenanswerstoquestions;stayingthewholeorpartofproceedings;thatdifferentclaimsbeconsideredtogether;thatpartofthecasebeconsideredseparately;thatdifferentclaimsbeheardtogether;addingorremovingrespondents;postponingoradjourninganyhearing;givingpermissiontoamendaclaimorresponse;abouttheuseofwitnessstatements;abouttheuseofexpertwitnesses.

1.100 Employment judges being (like everyone else) creatures of habit,theywillfeelmorecomfortablemakingthesefamiliarsortsofordersthanmakingentirelynovelordersdreameduptodealwiththecircumstances of a particular case; and anyway, the orders listed arethekindsofordersthataremostcommonlyneededinpractice.Thatdoesn’tmeanyoushouldn’teveraskforanordernotonthislist;itjustmeansthatifyoudo,you’llbeaskingforsomethingabitunfamiliar–sothetribunalmaybehardertopersuade.

1.101 ThePresidentof the employment tribunalshaspower to issuepracticedirectionsgivingdetailedguidanceabouthowcasesshouldbeconducted.Undertheoldrules,practicedirectionswereexclusivelyconcernedwiththepracticalitiesofhandlinglargescalemultipleclaims:forexample,massequalpaylitigation.Atthetimeofwriting,theonlypracticedirectionthathasbeenissuedunderthe2013rules

••••••••••••••••



isonthepresentationofclaims.ItcanbedownloadedasapdffromtheMinistryofJusticewebsite.26

1.102 Theprocedureruleswillnotbetheonlymaterialinformingthetribunal’s procedural decisions. Tribunals are very often guided–sometimes,butnotalways,consciously–byprinciplesandproceduresthatoperateintheordinarycourts,oftendrawnfromtheCivilProcedureRules(CPR)whichapply there.If thetribunalcriticisesyou for some failure to observe ‘obvious commonsense’ or ‘basicgoodpractice’insomeaspectoftheconductofproceedingsonwhichneitheryourowncommonsensenortheprocedurerulesprovideanyguidance, thechancesare that this iswhat isgoingon.Thechairmanhasabsorbedprinciples fromtheCPRorrulesofconductoretiquetteintheordinarycourts,andistreatingthemasselfevident.

1.103 Forthisreason,somefamiliaritywiththeCPRisusefulifyou’reanemploymentadviser–partlysothatyou’renottakenbysurprisewhenthetribunalborrowsfromtheCPR,andpartlysothatyou’reinapositioneithertowarnthetribunalagainstautomaticadherencetorulesdevisedforamoreformalsetting,orsometimestoproposethatthemannerofdealingwithparticularpracticalproblemssetoutintheCPRshouldbeadopted.TheCPRcanalsoprovideinsightsintothethinkingbehindthetribunalprocedurerules.Inmanyinstances,thelatterareasimplifiedversionoftheformer;sometimes,ontheotherhand, it is clear that a deliberate distinctionhas beenmadebetweenthetribunalrulesandtheCPR.27

1.104 TheuptodateCPRcanbefoundontheMinistryofJusticewebsite.28Thisshouldberegardedasarecommendationonlyforadviserswhowillrunasubstantialnumberofcasesforclients,however:grapplingwiththefairlyforbiddingCPRisunlikelytobethebestuseofyourtimeifyou’rerepresentingyourself.

General note on correspondence

1.105 Muchofyourcorrespondencewiththetribunalortheothersidewillhaveasecondarytacticalmotiveaswellasthepurposeithasonitsface.Rememberthatanycorrespondencemayinsomecircumstancesbereadbythetribunal,soalwaysmaintainacalmandcooperative

26 See:www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/tribunals/employment/ruleslegislation/etpracticedirection.pdf.

27 Foranexample,seeKopel v Safeway Stores plc[2003]IRLR753,EAT.28 See:www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedurerules/civil/rules.



style.Thisrulewon’tnecessarilybefollowedtherespondentor itsadvisers,but try toresist thetemptationtobeabrasiveorsarcasticevenifsorelyprovoked.Thiscanbeparticularlyimportantifeithersidemakes a costs application at the end of the case. If there isunavoidabledelay,ortherehasbeenamisunderstanding,anapologycostsnothingandcanhelpavoidunnecessaryconflictwiththeother party.Awellplaced and graceful apologymay evenhelp tipthetribunalawayfrommakingacostsawardifotherwisetherearegroundsforone.

1.106 Therearegood reasons inanyevent tokeep relationswith therespondentascalmaspossible.Manyaspectsofthepreparationofthecasewillgomoresmoothlyif there’scooperationbetweentheparties.Litigationisverylikeaformalgamewithaseriousoutcome.Towinanygame,itisnecessarytocooperatesufficientlywiththeotherplayertocompleteit.Angrysquabblingaboutwhenexactlywitnessstatementsshouldbeexchanged,whopreparesthebundleforthehearing,whetherthehearingislikelytolastforthreedaysorfouretcisasfutileandaslittlelikelytoaffecttheoutcomeasadisputebetweentwochessplayersaboutwhetherthe12inchorthe18inchchessboardshouldbeused.Bothsidesarelikelytoencountercertaindifficultiesalongtheway,andwillsometimesneedtheotherside’sindulgencewhentheyareunabletomeetdeadlines,etc.Ifthetoneof theproceedingshasbeenquarrelsomefromthestart,eachsidemaywasteagreatdealoftime(andoftenmoneytoo)scoringeverypossiblepointofftheother.It’sfarbettertobeflexibleaboutthingsthatdon’tmatter,andsaveyourenergyforthefewbattlesthatwillwinorlosethecase.Ifyou’reactinginpersonagainstarepresentedemployer,it’sworthmakingarealefforttorememberthatthelawyerontheothersideissimplydoingthejobshe’spaidtodoinrepresentingtherespondent’sinterests,andisnotapersonalenemy.

1.107 Lettersshouldmake theirpointplainlyand inas fewwordsaspossible.Normally if youwrite to theothersideor the tribunal, itisbecauseyouwant themtodosomething:youwant themto tellyou something, or send you a document, or order the other sidetodosomething,orpostponethecase,etc.Saywhatitisyouwantthemtodo,andwhy,assimplyandclearlyasyoucan,andthenstopwriting.

1.108 Ifyougetalongquarrelsomeletterfromtheotherside,trynottogetdrawnin.Pickupahighlighterandhighlightthebitsoftheletter that ask you todo something.Decidewhetherornot you’reprepared to do it. Even if the letter is quarrelsome, approach thatquestionwiththeattitude‘Isthereanyreasonwhynot?’ratherthan


2� EmploymentTribunalClaims / chapter1

‘WhyshouldI?’Writeashortletterbacktellingthemwhatyouhavedecided–ordoingwhatyou’reasked.Ifyou’rerefusingtodowhattheyaskofyou,explainbrieflywhy.Ignoretherestoftheirletter.

1.109 Avoid fancy typefaces.Useheadingsandnumbers toaddclarity,butdon’tuseunderlining,bold,capitalsoritalicsforemphasis.Ifyoureallymustemphasisesomething,useitalics;capitalsarethewrittenequivalentofshouting,andwritingaletteroremailincapitalsislikelytobeexperiencedbythereaderasdeliberaterudeness.Typeyourlettersifyoupossiblycan.

1.110 Inexperiencedadviserssometimesfeelthattheyoughttoactthepart andwrite legalese.Opening and closinggambits like ‘Iwritefurthertoourconversation[/myletter]of[date]’or‘Iwriteinrelationtotheabovementionedmatterandrefertoyourletterof[date]’or‘Ilookforwardtohearingfromyouatyourearliestconvenienceandthankyouforyourattention’areredundant.Theheadingindicatesthesubjectmatteroftheletter,and‘thankyouforyourletterof[date]’isampletoprovidethelinktotheletterbeinganswered.Ifthere’saparticularneedforanurgentanswer,itmakessensetospellthatout,butotherwisethere’srarelyaneedtoaddaspecificrequestforareply.

1.111 Letterscanbesentintheconventionalmanner,eitherfirstorsecondclass.There’snorequirementforrecordedorspecialdelivery.Infact,sendinglettersrecordeddeliverycanbeaneffectivewayofdelayingthem:thedemandforasignatureondeliverymeansthatiftherecipientisn’tathomeordoesn’thearthedoorbell,theletteris takenback to thesortingoffice forcollection later–orpossiblynever.Emailcorrespondenceiscommonandperfectlyacceptable;faxmachinesaregettingrarer,butifbothsideshavethemthat’sfinetoo.

1.112 Somesolicitorsstillroutinelyduplicatefaxedoremailedcorrespondencebypost.Don’tdo this– it’sunnecessary,andcancausethe tribunaland theothersideextrawork. If theotherpartyfindsitatalldifficult todealwithcorrespondence(byreasonofavisualimpairment,forexample,ordyslexia)it’sparticularlyunhelpful.Thetribunalspositivelyaskpartiesnottodoit.Ifit’sessentialtoensurethatadocumentarrivesbyacertaindate,thesensiblethingistofaxoremailitandthenfollowthefaxwithatelephonecalltoconfirmarrival.Anattendancenoteofthatconversation,identifyingthepersonspokento,shouldbeampleproofofdeliveryifyouneedit.

1.113 If anemaildoesn’t seem togive the rightdegreeof formality,youcanattachaletterasaseparatedocument.Themaindangerofusingemailforthispurposeisthatthespeedofemailexchanges



canescalateadifferenceofviewsintoaquarrelveryquickly,andemailsleaveapermanentrecordthatmaylaterbeshowntothetribunal.Sodraftemailswiththesamecareasanyothercorrespondence,andkeepthemcalmandreasonable.

1.114 Getintothehabitofremovinginformationaboutpreviousdrafts,etcfromanyemailedattachment.Thiscanbemostsimplydonebyselectingandcopying the textandpasting it intoanewdocumentbefore attaching to an email. Sending awitness statement to therespondentwithrecoverableinformationaboutpreviousdraftscouldbeverydamaging.

1.115 All letters to the tribunal should be copied to the respondent.Manyadvisersroutinelycopyallcorrespondencewiththeotherside,other than ‘withoutprejudice’correspondence, to the tribunal,butthisisunnecessary.29It’sbettertocopycorrespondencetothetribunalonly if it isrelevanttosomethingyou’reaskingthetribunal todo.So,forexample,don’tcopyarequestforadditionalinformationtothetribunalwhenyoufirstmakeit;butiftherespondentrefusestocomply,sendittothetribunalwithyourapplicationforanorder.Ifthere’sbeenanextendedwrangleoversomeaspectofcasepreparation,thetribunalwillonlyneedtoseetherelevantcorrespondenceifandwhenitisaskedtoadjudicateonit,orifonepartyseekscostsongroundsoftheotherparty’sunreasonableconduct.Atthatpointyoucancopythewholecorrespondencetothetribunal,orcollateitintoabundletosupportthepointyouwanttomakeatahearing.

1.116 Alwaysthinkabouttheconvenienceofboththeotherpartyandthetribunal.Ahistoryofconspicuouslyconsiderateletterswillbeoneofyourbestdefencesiftheothersideappliesfortheircostsatanystage.So,forexample,ifyou’reunabletomeetadeadline,lettherespondentknowaboutthedifficultyassoonasyoubecomeawareofit,andproposearealisticrevisedtimetable.Orifyouwanttoamendyourclaim,therespondentwillprobablyneedtoamendtheirresponsetodealwiththenewpoints.Theletterrequestingpermissiontoamendshouldrecognisethisandproposesuitablearrangements.

1.117 Theseare justexamples.Thepoint is tomakecooperativenessyourdefaultposition;onlygetintoatusslewiththeothersideifit’sgenuinely worthwhile in terms of the likelihood of winning yourcase.

1.118 It’s conventional to address letters sent to the tribunal to ‘theRegional Secretary’, with a request, where appropriate, to refertheletterortheapplicationtoajudgeforhisorherattention.The

29 Seeglossaryfor‘withoutprejudice’.



regionalsecretariesaretheadministrativeheadsoftheemploymenttribunals; the regional chairmen are the judicial heads. Similarly,correspondencewiththeEATisaddressedtotheRegistrar,whoistheadministrativeheadoftheEAT.AtthetimeofwritingtheRegistrar at theEATandmany, possibly themajority, of the regionalsecretariesarewomen.Theexamplesinthisbookusethesalutation‘DearMadam’throughout.

1.119 Lettersaredraftedinthefirstpersoninthisbook:evenifyou’reanadviseremployedbyanorganisation,you’restillanindividual,andthedecisionsyoumakeaboutthecaseareyourdecisions.It’sprobablybetter totakeindividualresponsibilityforthem;if thatmakesyoufeeluncomfortable,itmaybeacluethatyou’renotmakingtherightdecisions.

1.120 Theopening‘DearSirs’isstillincommonuse,butifyouthinkaboutit,asaformofaddressforanorganisationinwhichwomenwork, it’s pretty discourteous. The examples in this book areaddressedeithertotheindividualwithconductofthecase(‘DearMrBean’, ‘DearSir’, ‘DearMsMarrow’, ‘DearMadam’)orelse to theorganisationbyname(‘DearCarrot&Marrow’, ‘DearNaffTatplc’,‘DearCamdenCouncil’).

1.121 Documentsotherthanlettersaregivenformalheadingsshowingtheparties’names,thetribunal,thecasenumberandthetitleofthedocument laidout inaconventionalpattern.30Theseheadingsarenotcompulsoryandarefarfromuniversalinemploymenttribunallitigation;itislargelyamatterofpersonaltastewhetherornottousethem.

Telephone calls

1.122 The choice between writing a letter andmaking a telephone callto the tribunal or the respondent will often be obvious. A formalrequestfordisclosureofdocumentsoranapplicationforpermissiontoamendtheclaimorpostponethehearingmustbemadeinwriting.Iftherespondenthasfaxedaletter,partofwhichisillegible,theonlysensiblethingistopickupthetelephonetothemstraightawayandaskthemtoresendit.

1.123 Betweentheseextremestherewillbemanycommunicationsforwhicheitherwilldofine.Toalargeextentthechoicewillbeamatterofpreference,thoughifyou’renotusedtoconductinglitigationyoumaymakeyour taskharder thannecessarybydealingwithalmost

30 See,eg,Precedent2.86.1.


Preliminarymatters 3�

everythingby letter.Sokeep letters toareasonableminimumanduse the telephone insteadwherepossible.Thiswill save timeandenergy,andwillalsotendtoencouragetheothersidetocooperatewithyou.

1.124 It’salsoworthrememberingthatbothtribunalstaffandlawyersacting for the respondent canbe a valuable source of backgroundinformationabouthowthingsareusuallydoneorwhatthetribunal’sexpectationswillbe.It’smucheasiertotapintothatkindofinformationinafairlyinformaltelephoneconversationthaninanexchangeofletters.31

File and diary management

1.125 Runninganemploymenttribunalcaserequireshabitsthataresecondnaturetosolicitors,andtoanyoneelsewhosenormalworkrequiresthemtohandlecorrespondencefilesovermonthsoryears.Butifyoudon’tdothatkindofwork,you’llneedtolearnthosehabitsespeciallyforyourcase.

1.126 Thefirstpoint is that thepapers relating to thecaseshouldbekepttogetherinaringbinder,leverarchfileorcardboardwalletfile.Whichyouusewillprobablydependonthevolumeofpapers.Fileacopyofanythingyousendoutorreceive.Ifyoumakehandwrittennotes–forexample,ofaphonecallwhileyou’reonthephone–youshouldfilethemtoo,evenifyoualsomakeatypedcopy.

1.127 Makeabriefnoteofanytelephoneconversationormeeting,andfileit.Thisiswhatlawyerscallan‘attendancenote’.

1.128 Itcanbetemptingtothink‘Oh,thatwassuchashortandtrivialconversationIdon’tneedtomakeanote’,buttrytoresistthetemptation.Iftheconversationwasshortandseeminglytrivial, itwon’ttakelongtonoteitanyway–it’lltakeyoulongertodecidewhethertherecouldconceivablybeanycircumstancesinthefutureinwhichitmightbeimportanttohavearecordofit.Ifitwasofanylength,it’sboundtoneedarecord.It’salsoagoodideatorecordthetimespent,incaseyoumightwanttomakeanapplicationforcostsorapreparationtimeorder.

31 Notetoothattheforcesthatencourageprofessionalrepresentativestowritequarrelsomelettersdon’toperateinthesamewaywhentheyspeakonthetelephone.Irememberbeingbaffledbyasolicitorwhowrotemeconsistentlyabrasivelettersbutwascharmingandcooperativeonthetelephone–untilIrealisedthathewassendinghisclientcopiesofhislettersbutnottapesofhisphonecalls.



precedent 1.128: attendance note

Attendance notes don’t need to follow any particular format, and a handwrittennote(provideditislegible)isperfectlyadequate.

Client: phelps

Date: 14 august 2013

T.C. to Carrot & Marrow to chase response to our draft list of issues. Mr Bean just back from holiday – agreed extension to close of business on Friday.

5 minutes

1.129 Divideyourpapersintologicalcategories.Thefollowingcategorieswilloftenbetheonlyonesyouneed:(i)correspondenceandattendancenotes,withthemostrecentitemonthetop;(ii)statementsofcaseandorders–theclaim,theresponse,anydirectionsfromthetribunal,thedecision;(iii)documentaryevidence;and(iv)statements.Youcankeepthesesubfilesseparatefromeachotherbygivingeachoneitsowntreasury tag,orenclosingit inafoldedsheetofpaperwiththenameofthecategoryontheoutside,orifyourpapersareinaringbinderorleverarchfileyoucanusetabbeddividercards.It’llsaveyoutimeifyoukeepalistofthephonenumbersofallthepeopleyoumayneedtocontactaboutthecaseontheinsideflapofthefile,orsomewhereelseyoucanalwaysfinditeasily.It’salsoagoodideatokeepanoteofkeydates–especiallydatesbywhichyouneedtodothings–somewhereprominentonthefile,thoughthat’snosubstitutefordiariesandautomaticreminders.

time recording

1.130 Becausethetribunalshavepowerincertaincircumstancestomake‘preparationtimeorders’tocompensatepartiesforthetimetheyhavespentpreparingthecase,it’ssensibletogetintothehabitofkeepingarunningrecordofthetimeyouspendonthecase.Preparationtimecanmountup to a surprising extent: it ismuch easier to demonstratethisconvincinglybyshowingthetribunalarecordofthiskindthanby lookingbackat theworkdoneweeksormonths after theeventandtryingtoestimatehowlongeachtaskwouldhavetaken.Ifyouarerepresentingyourselfremembertorecordtimethatalawyermightnothavetospend–suchastimetravellingtoalibraryortoalocalprintshoptofaxadocument.Keepanoteofanyexpensesanditemisedtelephonebills.



1.131 Probablythesimplestmethodofkeepingaroughaccountofthetimespentonafileistokeepasheetortwolaidoutalongthelinesofthefollowingprecedentatthefrontofthefile,andtotrytoremembertocompleteitattheendofeachtelephonecallorsessionofworkonthecase.Oryoucoulduseatimerecordingapponyourphoneorcomputer:theinformationyourecordstillcomesfromyou,obviously,butsometribunalsmayfindaprintoutmoreconvincingthanahandwrittenlist.

precedent 1.131: time sheet

Date activity time spent

4/�0/�3 t/c to PCAW helpline 20 mins

4/�0/�3 Trip to library for research (incl travel)

4 hours £�.40 fare £5.20 copying

7/�0/�3 t/c to PCAW helpline 5 mins

7/�0/�3 Drafting grievance letter � hour

24/�0/�3 Considering Employer’s response 20 mins

�/��/�3 Trip to library for research 3 hours £�.40 fare £2.00 copying

��/��/�3 Drafting ET� 3 hours

��/��/�3 t/c to EOC helpline 20 mins

��/��/�3 Redrafting ET� in light of advice � hour

��/��/�3 Trip to print shop to fax ET� 40 mins £2 fare £�.20 fax

�3/��/�3 Drafting questionnaire 2 hours

�3/��/�3 t/c to ACAS 5 mins

�3/��/�3 Reading letter from Employer’s solicitor

20 mins

�3/��/�3 t/c to CAB 5 mins

�4/��/�3 Drafting letter to Employer’s solicitor

30 mins

Key dates and time limits

1.132 It’s particularly important to establish a reliable habit of notingkeydatesinsuchawaythat it is impossibletoforgetthem.Thereareallkindsofwaysofsettingupautomaticreminders,thoughanoldfashioneddiarywillstillbethemosteffectiveformanypeople.



Whatevermethodyouchoose,there’sapitfalltobeavoidedateachendoftheprocess.Thefirstistoforgettomaketheinitialentry.Ifyou’re busywhen you’re first consulted by a new client, youmaybetemptedtopostponethetaskofcalculatingandnotingkeydatesuntilacalmermoment.Thisisamistake:acalmmomentmaynotcomealongforsometime,andby the time itdoes,youmayhaveforgotten.Ifyoudon’thavetimetocalculateandrecordkeydatesatonce,youdon’thavetimetotakeonanewcase.

1.133 Thesecondpitfallistosetupthereminder,butthentofailtoregisteritwhenitfallsdue.There’snopointnotingkeydatesinadiarythatyourarelyopen,orsettingupareminderonanemailaccountthatyoudon’taccesseveryday. It’s farbetter to linkreminders toexistinghabitsthantotrytoestablishcompletelynewhabits:ifyoualreadycheckanemailaccountdaily,you’lldobetter tosetupanautomaticreminderonyouremailthantoresolvetobuyadeskdiaryandlookiniteveryday.Ifyoualreadyhaveandconstantlyuseadeskdiary,you’llbebetterservedbyanentryinthat.

1.134 It’sbeyondthescopeofthisbooktodiscusstimelimitsindetail,but two calculations need to be second nature to employmentadvisers.32

1.135 Thefirstistheendofthenormaltimelimitforpresentationoftheclaim,whichforthegreatmajorityofclaimsoverwhichthetribunalhasjurisdictionisthreemonthslessonedayfromthedateofdismissal(incomplaintsaboutdismissal)orfromtheactcomplainedof(inthecaseofmostothercomplaints).So,forexample,ifyouweredismissedon5August2013,aclaimaboutyourdismissalmustbereceivedonorbefore4November2013;‘before’ismuchbetterthan‘on’.

1.136 Discriminationcomplaints canpresentdifficultiesas therewilloftenbeallegationsofanumberofdiscriminatoryactsondifferentdates.Sometimesitwillbepossibletoarguethattheseallformpartofthesamecontinuingact,butthatargumentcanbecomplicated.Soifyoucan,getyourclaiminlessthan3monthsaftertheearliestoftheactsthatyouwanttocomplainabout.

1.137 If that’s impossible because you put upwithmistreatment formonthsoryearsbeforedecidingyouhadtobringaclaim,justpresentitassoonasyoucan.33

1.138 The second crucial calculation is the last day for presentationofanappeal to theEAT,whichis42daysfromthedatewhenthe

32 Foradetaileddiscussionoftimelimits,seeELAH,paras20.34and21.14.33 Foradviceonclaiminginahurry,seeparas2.88–2.90.



employmenttribunal’sjudgmentororderissenttotheparties.ThismeansthatifthejudgmentissentoutonTuesday13August2013,then thenoticeof appeal togetherwith formsET1andET3andacopyofthejudgmentappealedmustbereceivedbytheEATbefore4pmonTuesday24September2013.

1.139 Ineithercase,it’sessentialtomakesurethatthedocumentarrivesin timeandcomplete.Thiscannotbeoveremphasised: there’snomethodofdeliverythatis100percentfailsafe,andamisseddeadline forpresenting a claimor an appeal is the kindof errormostlikelytowreckyourclaimwithoutahearing(andifyou’reanadviser,getyousuedfornegligence).34

1.140 Ifaclaiminthelastfewdaysisunavoidable,thebestthingistosubmititonline:youshouldgetanacknowledgementthatattachesapdfofyourform,soyoucancheckthatthetribunalhasreceivedit.Unfortunately,atthetimeofwriting,thepdfwon’tincludeanyrtfdocumentyouhaveuploadedwithyourform,sobeparticularlycarefultomakesurethatyoukeepacopyofthat.

1.141 If the time limit isn’t imminent,makesureyoucheck thesafearrivalofyourdocumentbeforeitdoesexpire.Ifanewclaimispostedfourweeksbeforethedeadline,butlostinthepost,thedeadlinemayhavepassedbythetimeyouwonderwhyyouhaven’tyetreceivedanacknowledgement from the tribunal. A document lost in the postwon’tusuallyprovideasufficientexcuseforalateclaimorappeal,somakeadiarynotetofindoutwhat’shappenedifyouhaven’treceivedanacknowledgementwithinareasonabletime.

Interim relief

What it is

1.142 Interimrelief isanorderthatpreservesyouremployment(at leastsofaraspayisconcerned)untilafterthetribunalhasdecidedyourclaimforunfairdismissal.That’sveryvaluable:evenifyouultimatelyloseyourclaim,youwillhavebeenpaidmeanwhile;andyouwon’thavetopaythemoneyback.

34 Evenhanddeliveryisn’tcompletelysafe:foracautionarytaleseeGdynia American Shipping Lines v Chelminski[2004]IRLR725,CA.SeealsoJR Beasley v National Grid[2008]EWCACiv742inwhichaclaimdelivered88secondslatewasheldtobeoutoftime.



When you can get it

1.143 Interimreliefisonlyavailableifyouarecomplainingofdismissalforoneofalimitednumberofspecifickindsofreason.Theseare:

protected disclosure (otherwise known as ‘whistleblowing’):whenyousaythatthereasonyouhavebeendismissedisthatyouhave raisedcertainkindsof concerns,normallybutnotexclusivelyaboutunlawfulconduct;certainkindsoftradeunionrelatedactivities;areasonrelatingtoaprohibitedlist(thatistosay,a‘blacklist’oftradeunionmembersoractivists);yourperformanceofyourdutiesasaworkers’representativeinrelationtohealthandsafety,anoccupationalpensionschemeortheWorkingTimeRegulations;forexercisingorseekingtoexercisetherighttobeaccompaniedtoameetingtodiscussarequestnottoretire,orforaccompanyingorseekingtoaccompanyacolleagueatsuchameeting.

1.144 Ifyouthinkyouhavebeendismissedbecauseoftradeunionactivitiesorblacklisting,youneedtogetintouchurgentlywiththeuniontogettheiradviceandhelpwithaninterimreliefclaimifappropriate.Therearecertainadditionalformalitiesintradeunioncasesthatwedon’tdealwithhere.

1.145 Whistleblowingdismissalisthemostlikelysourceofarighttoclaiminterimrelief.Ifyouthinkyouhavegoodevidencethatthisisthereasonyouweredismissed,youshouldconsideranapplicationforinterimreliefbeforeyoudoanythingelse.

Deciding whether to try for interim relief

1.146 Becauseoftheveryshortdeadlineforclaiminginterimrelief,applyingforitmeansworkingfast.Theusualwarningsaboutthecostofinstructinglawyersarerelevant,onlymoreso:urgentworktendstobemoreexpensivethannonurgentwork;andyourchoiceoflawyerislikelytobemorerestrictedthanifyouhadacoupleofmonthstoplaywith.

1.147 Timeformakingaconsidereddecisionaboutwhetherornottogoaheadwith theapplicationatallwillbesqueezed, too:youandyouradviserwillbemakingdecisionsunderconsiderablepressureoftimewithlessinformationandlessthoughtthanyou’dlike.Theresultcouldbethatyouspendalotofmoneymakinganurgentapplicationthatyou’dactuallyhavebeenbetteradvisednottopursueif

•

••

•

•



therehadbeenmoretimetoconsideritsstrength.Gettingfreerepresentationintimeforanapplicationforinterimreliefwillbeevenmoredifficult.LawyersinCitizensAdviceBureauxandLawCentresarealmostalwaysrushedofftheirfeet:evenifyou’reluckyenoughtogethelp,itcaneasilytakeseveralweeksjusttogetanappointment.

1.148 Allofthismeansthatifyouwanttotryforinterimrelief,youmaynothavemuch realisticoptionother than tomake theapplicationyourself.

How likely are you to get it?

1.149 Notvery.Youhavetopersuadethetribunal–normallyonthebasisofyourclaimformanddocumentaryevidencealone–thatyouare‘likely’ towintheunderlyingclaim;forexample, thatyouare likelytopersuadethetribunalthatconductsthefinalhearingthatyouweredismissedbecauseofaprotecteddisclosure.‘Likely’hasbeenheldtomeansomethingmorethan‘havingareasonableprospectofsuccess.’

1.150 Inpractice,thedocumentaryevidenceoftherightkindofprohibited reason will normally need to be pretty strong for it to beworthwhiletryingforinterimrelief.Inparticular,‘Iknowthat’swhytheydismissedme,andI’msureIcanproveitifIcrossexaminethemanagers’willnotbeenough:youprobablywon’tgetthechancetocrossexamineanyoneattheinterimreliefhearing.

What you have to do

1.151 Whatyouhavetodotoclaiminterimreliefisbasicallythesameaswhatyouhavetodotocomplainofunfairdismissal,onlyfaster.

1.152 Specifically:

completeandpresentanET1:seeparas2.35–2.70;paythefeeorsendinanapplicationforremission.

1.153 Youhavetomentionthatyouwantinterimrelief.There’snospecialpartoftheformtofillintodothis,soatsection8.1,ticktheboxfor‘IammakinganothertypeofclaimwhichtheEmploymentTribunalcandealwith,’andwritein‘interimrelief:Iamclaimingunfairdismissalbyreasonof[insert your reason].’

1.154 Oncethetribunalhasyourclaim,itislikelytolistitforhearingveryquickly; sodon’twait for thenoticeofhearing–get onwithpreparationforitasfastasyoucan.Preparationforthehearingisthesameaspreparationforafinalhearing;onlyyouwon’thavemuch

••


3� EmploymentTribunalClaims / chapter1

timetodoit,anditwillnecessarilybelesselaborate.Butyou’llwantapaginatedbundleofrelevantdocuments(seeparas7.5–7.14),andprobablyawitnessstatement(seeparas5.12–5.53).Ifcolleaguesarewillingtogiveevidenceinsupportofyourclaim,you’llwantwitnessstatementsfromthemtoo:seeparas5.3–5.9onthesubjectofdecidingwhoyoushouldcall.Alistofissuesisalwayshelpful:seepara7.28.Ifthere’stime,trytoagreethebundlewiththeotherside;butbecauseofthetimepressure,youmaywellendupwithaclaimant’sbundleandarespondent’sbundle.Thetribunalwillbemoreunderstandingaboutthatthanitwouldbeinmosthearings.

1.157 Ifyouthinktherearekeydocumentsinyouremployer’spossessionthatwillproveyourcase,youmaywanttoaskthemforthem.Thetribunalalmostcertainlywon’tbewillingtoorderdisclosureofdocumentsbeforeaninterimreliefhearing;buttheemployermaycomplyvoluntarily–andiftheydon’t,youmaybeabletopersuadethetribunalthattheirfailuretodosoissuspiciousinitself.Ifyouwanttodothis,askforthedocumentsasearlyasyoupossiblycan,soastodepriveyouremployeroftheopportunitytosaythattheywereperfectlywilling toprovide thembutcouldn’t retrieve themin thelimitedtimeavailable.
