Raft of new Employment Tribunal instructions for Exchange Chambers’ employment department

April 30, 2018

Exchange Chambers’ employment law department is generating a significant number of new instructions, particularly in relation to Tribunal claims.

Employment Tribunal fees of up to £1200, introduced in 2013, were abolished in July last year following a Supreme Court ruling that the Government was acting unlawfully under both domestic and EU law.

“The impact of last year’s Supreme Court judgment in R (on the application of UNISON) v Lord Chancellor is now filtering through to the Bar,” said Paul Kirtley, Head of Exchange Chambers’ employment department.

“An inevitable consequence of the abolition of fees has been a rise in the number of claims brought to Tribunal – and an increase in instructions for specialist employment practitioners.  In recent years, we have expanded our employment department to ensure the quality of our advice and representation is matched by the strength in depth of our team.”

Claims to employment tribunals have soared by 90% since the abolition of fees, latest official figures show. The government’s quarterly statistics, for October to December 2017, show 8,173 single claims were brought, up from 4,200 in the same period in 2016.

Multiple employment tribunal claims received have increased by 467% – mainly due to a glut of holiday pay cases that were presented in 2017 but not the year before.

Of the total claims accepted during the quarter, almost a quarter (22%) were for unlawful deduction of wages. Around 13% were equal pay claims, 7.5% breach of contract, and 3% sex discrimination.

In addition to Employment Tribunal instructions, the team at Exchange Chambers specialises in all areas of employment law.

Members of the department are currently appearing at all levels of the Court and Tribunal Services including the Employment Tribunal, The Employment Appeal Tribunal, County Courts, the High Court, and higher appellate courts.

The department is also undertaking all forms of non-contentious drafting work including contracts of employment, collective agreements, settlement agreements, sub-contractor agreements and restrictive covenants.