Tribunal fees reintroduction

The government has launched a consultation on reintroducing fees for claims in the Employment Tribunal or for appeals to the Employment Appeal Tribunal. This is despite the Supreme Court’s 2017 ruling that such fees were unlawful.

The 2017 ruling came about as a result of the UNISON public services union’s successful legal challenge to the then fees regime. UNISON’s legal challenge resulted in the abolition of the fees.

Although the new proposals are for a simplified system, with one fee level of £55 per claim or appeal, this is likely to prove, once again, to be an obstacle to justice for workers — something the Supreme Court found in its original ruling.

The consultation closes on 25 March, 2024.

The TUC has condemned the government’s plans.