The CBI is unhappy with reports that the Government is
backing away from plans to charge employees for applying to employment
tribunals.
The initiative was one of a number of DTI proposals
announced last month to tackle the steady increase in the number of employment
tribunals.
John Cridland, deputy director-general said, “Everybody
agrees that we need to cut the number of disputes ending up in the courts
unnecessarily. Companies support the fee as part of a balanced package that
puts responsibilities on both employers and employees.
“If the Government were to drop the idea of a charge it
would be even more essential to find other ways of resisting abuse of the
system in a punt-for-cash culture. Otherwise ministers could fail to reduce
unnecessary tribunal cases.”
Tribunal claims have trebled to over 130,000 cases in the
last decade, with 64 per cent of applicants failing to even try and resolve the
problem directly with the employer.
“People who take out litigation need to recognise that there
is a cost to the employer and the tax payer. Employees should share some
financial responsibility,” added Cridland.
By Ross Wigham
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