Tottel’s Employment Tribunals Handbook

Tottel’s Employment Tribunals Handbook
Authors: Alan Payne and John-Paul Waite
Price: £52
Pages: 470
Publisher: Tottel Publishing
ISBN: 1 84592 006 6

Tottel’s Employment Tribunals Handbook is a comprehensive and practical guide to employment tribunal practice and procedure. It is written by a team of specialist employment law barristers who have extensive practical experience of employment law.

The book covers every stage of the tribunal process, from before the claim is brought to the lodging of an appeal. It encompasses the major new changes introduced on 1 October 2004 by the 2004 Employment Tribunal (Constitution & Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2004 and Part 3 of the Employment Act 2002, including:

• compulsory disciplinary and grievance procedures
  
• the new ‘claim and response’ procedure
  
• the powers of the tribunal to reject claims and responses that do not contain the necessary prescribed information
  
• new provisions on time limits and costs.

This book includes essential forms, details of precedents and specimen documents, including a compromise agreement, claim form, response and questionnaire.

A sample case study demonstrates, for those unfamiliar with tribunal proceedings, how to draft important documents, including the details of the complaint, the grounds of resistance, requests for additional information and a skeleton argument. The book provides detailed advice about how to make written and oral applications and how to prepare for final hearing.

There is a table setting out the time limits that apply to the various claims that a tribunal can hear, and a chapter devoted to the settlement of claims.

This is a clear, practical and easy-to-read book in which important points are repeated for clarity and emphasis. I would say it is an essential reference book for anyone who is involved (or may be involved) with employment tribunal issues or proceedings.

Useful? Five out of five stars
Well-written? Four out of five stars
Practical? Four out of five stars
Inspirational? One out of five star
Value for money? Three out of five stars
Overall Three out of five stars

Reviewed by Amanda Priestley, HR consultant, Zarlink Semiconductor