Rules on employment tribunals to 'change'

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that rules surrounding a person's employment tribunal are set to change.

TUC warned union leaders that rogue employers may be able to flout the law more easily if the employment tribunal system is altered.

Brendan Barber, the organisation's general secretary, said: "At the heart of any change to the tribunal system has to be the desire to make it more effective at delivering justice to the thousands of people who every year are wronged at work."

Business groups are pushing for the qualifying period that employees can claim unfair dismissal in to be increased to two years from one.

TUC believes that if this move is carried out employers would be able to let their workers go without good reason for doing so.

It is thought that the government will begin a consultation on the shape of employment tribunals in the future after the business groups complained that there were 56 per cent more cases last year.

Recently, a nurse named Linda Andrews was awarded over £100,000 after injuring her back while working in a hospital and lifting a severely overweight patient.

Published by Tessa Jones