Legal advice at your fingertips
Under the government’s new plans, due to come into force next year, employees would have to pay a fee when lodging a claim against their employer. It’s not yet clear how much that fee will be although estimates are around the £1500 mark. The Ministry of Justice is seeking views during a consultation period that ends on March 6th.
Bullying bosses
There is a good deal of anecdotal evidence that suggests some disreputable employers are using the economic downturn to bully staff with a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude, taking a gamble that without trades union backing and cuts to legal aid, few employees would embark upon a tribunal that could be lengthy, costly and stressful.
Help at hand
However, many people don’t realise help is at hand, thanks to legal support that is frequently bought with home and car insurance policies.
Although terms and conditions vary, most of these policies give access to a range of legal services and advice regarding employment disputes. These would usually include
u nfair dismissal, redundancy and discrimination on the grounds of sex, race or disability. Legal expenses can help with the l
egal costs of pursuing legal proceedings arising from a dispute with your employer as an employee under your contract of employment.
Mediation fears
Acas fears that instead of using mediation to try and resolve workplace grievances at an early stage, some employers will simply ignore problems until there’s ‘ cash on the table’ for a tribunal by which point the original problem may have escalated and relations irreparably damaged.
Useful links;
www.direct.gov.uk
www.acas.org.uk