Unison wins latest battle over employment tribunal fees

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Unison has successfully appealed the finding of a judicial review on the controversial imposition of fees for employment tribunals.

As WSB reported in February, the previous judicial review of the government policy agreed with many of Unison's objections but rejected the trade union's challenge as being "premature".

In April Unison confirmed it would be appealing that decision by asking the Court of Appeal to consider what it called "shocking" figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in March.

That appeal succeeded. Unison head of legal services Adam Crème confirmed the victory to WSB.

Data from the MoJ revealed that the number of employment tribunal claims had fallen by 79% between October and December 2013 compared to the same period last year, with just 9,801 new cases.

Unison has been in a protracted legal dispute opposing the MoJ's reforms to the tribunal process.

It claims that the requirement for claimants to pay fees of £250 to submit a claim and £950 for a hearing has "destroyed access to justice".

Employment relations minister Jenny Willott has already noted that the employment tribunal fee system is under review.

Unison began its battle to block the introduction of tribunal fees last summer.