Employment Tribunals going virtual – Covid-19
28th October 2020
The government is changing the rules for Employment Tribunals to allow more hearings to be held virtually in an attempt to deal with the rise in Covid-19 cases following the removal of tribunal fees and to do their bit in trying to minimise the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 8th of October 2020 saw the Tribunal allowing more flexibility for hearings to be held remotely in an effort to reduce the caseloads around the country. The Government furlough scheme is coming to an end on 31st October 2020, meaning the number of redundancies is likely to increase, with it, the number of claims submitted to Employment Tribunal.
What is changing?
From 1st December 2020, Employment Tribunal early conciliation will last six weeks as standard, rather than the current calendar month with a possible 2 week extension. The Employment Tribunal are making further changes from December 1 2020 to include,
- Allowing legal officers to carry out administrative tasks currently performed by employment judges – for example accepting or rejecting claim form or extending time,
- Refining the Acas early conciliation process and employment tribunal rules to allow greater flexibility in handling minor errors,
- Changing the rules to allow multiple claimants and respondents to use the same forms where reasonable, to avoid multiple certificates and time limits.
The Government’s announcement is in addition to the £140 million investment across the UK’s courts system announced in July to modernise courtrooms and improve technology.
Further Advice
If you would like any assistance with Employment Tribunal claims or other Employee related issues, please get in touch with our Employment and Commercial Solicitor Sasha Brine 07475069698.