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Recently published employment tribunal statistics have shown that the new system of charging upfront fees is resulting in a major reduction in claims, the TUC has said.
The statistics are the third quarterly set of figures since the new fees system was introduced and show that women, low-paid workers, disabled people, and black and asian workers are the big losers.
Individual claims were apparently down overall by 70% (from 12,727 to 3,792) in April to June 2014, compared to the same period in 2013.
The Government has set up a fees remission scheme to help low-paid workers with the cost of fees. However, the TUC believes that the system is deeply flawed as it is based on household income and savings, rather than an individual’s income.
For example, a woman working part-time on the minimum wage – with a weekly income of just £120 – could still face fees ten times her weekly salary if her partner has savings of more than £3,000. Fewer than a quarter of individuals applying for fees remission have received financial help, says the TUC.
“Early conciliation through Acas is a welcome step that is helping in some cases when things go wrong at work, but it can’t explain such a large fall in the number of employment tribunals,” commented TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady. “The fees system is a victory for Britain’s bad bosses who are getting away with harassment and abuse of workers.”
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