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Employment Tribunals

Employment tribunals exist as a specialist way of dealing with employment issues, avoiding the cost, extra time and the formality associated with taking somebody to court. Tribunals currently deal with well over one hundred thousand claims per year, although up to five times as many cases are applied for to the tribunal, but are either rejected or dealt with privately before the hearing. The average award from a tribunal case is around £8000, and for unfair dismissal cases (the most common type of complaint), the average is around £4000. Tribunals are held in a specialist tribunal centre, and have less procedures than a full courtroom.

An employment tribunal case will cost more to resolve than one that can be resolved more informally, with the average cost being around £1200. However, if your claim is successful, the costs will have to be paid by the other side. While you are allowed to represent yourself before an employment tribunal, most employers will have had some experience of tribunal cases, and will therefore have their own specialist solicitors who regularly deal with the same types of claim. Therefore, you will stand a much greater chance of success by seeking your own advice from a specialist solicitor. A specialist solicitor will also be able to help with dealing with your employer before the tribunal hearing, and advise on options such as ACAS conciliation. It is also not uncommon for employers to negotiate a settlement before a judgement has been made at the tribunal hearing, while the case is still going on, giving you a quicker and more certain outcome.

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