Early conciliation - only 1 in 8 cases are settled

'The most recent statistics from Acas (April-December 2014) show that nearly 59,000 workers have used early conciliation, compared to just under 2,000 employers and that the number of applications has risen from around 1,000 a week when conciliation was not mandatory to 1,800 a week in recent months' writes Sonia McKay in Labour Research. The new process has secured COT3 settlements in only one in eight cases with another 60% of claims being abandoned before reaching Tribunal.
http://www.lrdpublications.org.uk/publications.php?pub=LR&iss=1774&id=idm19652088&fromopp=y

Workplace rights are being priced out of existence

A new report from the TUC - What Price Justice? - shows how since the introduction of fees in July 2013 there has been a 79 per cent fall in overall claims taken to employment tribunals, with women and low-paid workers the worst affected. One year on, the worst fears of trade unions are being realised and workplace rights are being priced out of existence. In business and Tory Party circles much is said about 'regulatory barriers' yet they have hypocritically introduced a fees regime to block enforcement of legal rights for workers. All in support of their preferred 'hire and fire' flexible labour market:
http://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/TUC_Report_At_what_price_justice.pdf

Care workers must be paid for travel time

UNISON has welcomed a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decision – which confirmed that under the National Minimum Wage (NMW), hourly-paid care workers must be paid the NMW, both for travel time between assignments and also for time spent sleeping on overnight stays - as setting a “very clear benchmark” for what is expected of employers in the care sector. This is a massive boost for UNISON’s campaign in support of an ethical care charter which is attracting growing support from councils across the UK:
http://www.lrdpublications.org.uk/publications.php?pub=LR&iss=1705&id=idm7223928
http://www.unison.org.uk/upload/sharepoint/Research%20Material/Final%20Ethical%20Care%20Charter%20PDF.pdf

High Court upholds Con Dem attack on workplace rights

'In this country, we don’t walk on by when people are sick when people lose work when people get old'' claimed David Cameron in his speech on Scottish independence yesterday. The hypocrisy of the aloof and smug millionaire was laid bare on the same day when the High Court rejected UNISON’s challenge to the Government’s decision to introduce employment tribunal and employment appeal tribunal fees. Yes Prime Minister, it's true you don't walk on when workers lose jobs. You put your jackboot on their throat instead:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/unison-appeal-disappointing-judicial-review-decision-on-tribunal-fees

Employment Tribunals – the scandal of unpaid worker compensation

New government research has found that over half of the workers awarded compensation at an Employment Tribunal do not receive payment in full. The Payment of Tribunal Awards 2013 investigation identified that one of the most common reasons workers do not receive payment was because employers simply refuse to pay up. Over a third of claimants who had been awarded compensation received nothing whatsoever and 16% were paid only part of the money they were owed.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-considering-new-powers-to-tackle-non-payment-of-tribunal-awards
http://www.ier.org.uk/news/over-half-workers-awarded-compensation-employment-tribunal-do-not-receive-it-study-shows

Employment Tribunals & Fees - law of diminishing claims

Fees were introduced for employment tribunals from 29 July 2013 and already there has been a dramatic impact on the numbers of individual and group claims lodged. UNISON's judicial review challenge to the legality of the fees on equalities and other grounds will be heard at the High Court next week (22/23 October) and is of vital importance to the defence of workplace justice:
http://www.thehrdirector.com/legal_updates/legal-updates-2013/january-2013/employment-tribunal-fees-judicial-review-update/

1 October 2013 – RIP employment protection against third-party harassment

Today marks the repeal of provisions in the Equality Act 2010 for employment protection against third-party harassment and xpertHR lists eight key cases from its short existence. They highlight the limitations and strengths of the now scrapped law including an EAT decision which held that ‘an employer “subjected” its employees to unlawful race discrimination when it allowed comedian Bernard Manning and guests at an event to abuse and harass them racially, in circumstances in which it had sufficient control over the discriminatory event so as to have been able to prevent or reduce the extent of it by applying good employment practice’
http://www.xperthr.co.uk/blogs/employment-tribunal-watch/2013/09/third-party-harassment-claims-against-employers-eight-key-cases/

Drinks lobby, tobacco lobby and now the car lobby run rings around the Tories

After the Government’s abandonment of minimum drinks prices and restrictions on tobacco advertising following effective lobbying by cash rich industry lobbies, today we have Local Government Minister Eric Pickles responding like Pavlov’s Dog to RAC Foundation criticism of local authorities for enforcing their own democratically agreed parking regulations and services: "This profit shows why we need to review and rein in unfair town hall parking rules. Councils aren't listening, and local shops and hard-working families are suffering as a result. The law is clear that parking is not a tax or cash cow for town hall officers." In a week when his Government has introduced ET fees which will rake them in tens of millions from low paid workers, this is rank hypocrisy from Pickles:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/01/parking-fines-surplus_n_3686334.html?1375338658&utm_hp_ref=uk

Wheel of justice goes full circle as Tribunals outlive usefulness for employers and the state

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady speaks for all trade unionists in condemning the introduction of expensive fees for access to Employment Tribunals: “Today is a great day for Britain’s worst bosses. By charging upfront fees for harassment and abuse claims the government is making it easier for employers to get away with the most appalling behaviour. These reforms are part of a wider campaign to get rid of workers’ basic rights at work. Its only achievement will be to price vulnerable people out of justice.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/390932de-f61d-11e2-8388-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2aMzqeo6M

UCU wins landmark case brought by opponent of Palestine policy

An Employment Tribunal has found in favour of the University and College Union (UCU) on all ten complaints of harassment brought by a UCU member who opposed the union's policy on Palestine:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/6562
The full Tribunal judgment can be read here:
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/
Resources/JCO/Documents/Judgments/eemployment-trib-fraser-v-uni-college-union-judgment.pdf