Judge backs employment tribunals

A senior judge has rejected a long-running appeal that has come under fire for using too much public time and money. Lord Justice Mummery defended the employment tribunal system as he rejected an appeal by Elise Gayle. Ms Gayle had originally claimed she was penalised by the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust after taking part in trade union activities. This claim was rejected and she had taken her case to the Court of Appeal. Rejecting her claim, Lord Justice Mummery defended the amount of time that had been spent on the case. He said people did not appreciate the time it took for tribunals to establish and analyse a case. Lord Justice Mummery added: “Ms Gayle’s litigation has now reached the third level of decision. “That is not typical: most employment disputes do not even go one round, because they are settled through the good sense of the parties or thanks to the good offices of Acas. When they are contested, the vast majority of cases only go one round.” Our Employment team provides advice on the employment aspects of all major business decisions. For advice, contact a member of the team: call us on 08456 381381 or email employment@ibblaw.co.uk.