Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Employment lawLatest NewsDismissal

Lawyer’s blog call to scrap unfair dismissal law gains cult following

by Greg Pitcher 29 Jan 2007
by Greg Pitcher 29 Jan 2007

An employment lawyer has gained a cult business following after suggesting on his blog that the unfair dismissal law should be scrapped.


Mark Ellis, a solicitor at business consultancy Ellis Whittam, said the law benefited lawyers and staff at the expense of the UK economy.


“Are the feelings and the personal hardship suffered by an individual employee more important than the success and happiness of UK plc?” he posted earlier this month.


There were 41,832 unfair dismissal claims in 2005-06, according to the Employment Tribunal Service. But Ellis told Personnel Today that if organisations were able to sack people they didn’t like, productivity would soar, and there would be more work and money for everyone.


“If an employer doesn’t like someone – as long as it is not a case of discrimination – then why should they have to go through a six-month procedure to tick the right boxes?” he said.


An increasing number of “litigious employees” and no-win, no-fee lawyers were taking advantage of employment laws, he added.


Employers leapt to agree, and there was even a comment – albeit non-committal – from Conservative leader David Cameron’s office.


And Peter Schofield, director of legal and employment affairs at manufacturers’ body the EEF, told Personnel Today: “There is a legal regulation for almost every detail of the employment relationship.”


However, Schofield added that scrapping the unfair dismissal law was a step too far.


Blog responses




  • “I have 75 staff, and spend half my time dealing with ridiculous employment law procedures with a minority of staff that don’t give a damn! If I could just sack the dead wood, I’d have more time to spend growing the business.”



  • “We have just lost a tribunal claim because we did not follow the right procedures before we sacked an employee who had taken 73 days off work in the past 12 months! He still managed to play football every weekend. How can this be right? It is a nonsense.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Barometer question


Do you think the unfair dismissal law should be scrapped? Vote online.




Greg Pitcher

previous post
Government to conduct a review of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
next post
Companies favour diversity training to create an open culture and comply with the law

You may also like

Hospitality sector facing surge in tribunal claims

12 Aug 2025

Call for more support for young workers, as...

12 Aug 2025

Violence against A&E staff has doubled, warns RCN

12 Aug 2025

Nurse and midwife ‘graduate guarantee’ launched

11 Aug 2025

The Entertainer moves to employee ownership

11 Aug 2025

Raise retirement in line with life expectancy, say...

11 Aug 2025

Reform fit notes to recover falling over-50s employment

11 Aug 2025

Adviser who made sexual remarks unfairly dismissed by...

11 Aug 2025

Return to office: the looming battle over where...

11 Aug 2025

Hiring hits a wall as employment costs rise

11 Aug 2025

  • Elevate your L&D strategy at the World of Learning 2025 SPONSORED | This October...Read more
  • How to employ a global workforce from the UK (webinar) WEBINAR | With an unpredictable...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise