Tribunal fees

On 26 July tribunal fees were revoked by the Supreme Court with immediate effect. The number of employment tribunal claims was over 100,000 less in the year leading up to March 2017.

Employees need to know that they will be able to enforce their rights; and employers need to know that if they fail to meet their obligations, there is likely to be a remedy against them.

This is good news, but there is another statistic which is never published and that is how many people who find themselves in this position actually gain successful reemployment?

In most cases an individual’s livelihood has been adversely affected. But issues about money aren’t all that is at stake. For instance, job loss conveys that your sense of who you are has changed—yesterday you had a job title that helped define your place in the world, but today, that has gone.

Confidence crushed joined by its cousin, low self-esteem, can lead to feelings of despair and worthlessness, culminating in a depressive state that affects their personal life as well as their efforts to find a new job.

A few years ago, I found myself in this position, my vulnerability and loneliness magnified by the legal bondage of confidentiality which is predominately put in place to protect the employer.

It is an experience rarely admitted or shared, known only by one’s immediate family. Announcing while socialising with friends that your post has been made redundant is challenging enough. In the case of Employment Tribunal or Settlement Agreement it is you the employee that is being made redundant, not the post, thereby spotlighting the health of your future employability.

Employment Solicitors who are the source of most referrals have stated that there is a stage missing in the employment remedy process and that is the pastoral care an individual needs to receive post-settlement. JAYNE RICHARDS Colinton, Edinburgh