header-logo header-logo

30 January 2024
Issue: 8057 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Employment
printer mail-detail

‘Unlawful’ fees revisited

Fees for employment tribunal claims and Employment Appeal Tribunal appeals could be reintroduced, despite the Supreme Court ruling them unlawful seven years ago in R (on the application of Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) launched a consultation this week on proposals to introduce a uniform £55 fee for employment claims and appeals (as opposed to fees challenged by Unison in 2017, which ranged from £390 to £1,200 for a single claimant or £780 to £7,200 for groups). Justice minister Mike Freer said the ‘modest’ fees would contribute towards running costs and incentivise parties to settle.

Freer said the MoJ has ‘carefully considered’ the 2017 ruling and endeavoured to ensure the fees proposed ‘are proportionate and affordable’.

However, Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said tribunal fees ‘denied the poorest and most vulnerable access to justice. Nothing has changed. Tribunal fees were unfair then and they are still unfair today.’

Issue: 8057 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Employment
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
back-to-top-scroll