EMPLOYMENT LAW AND TRIBUNAL RIGHTS

Early day motion 1724, tabled 5 April 2011 by Kelvin Hopkins (Labour). Signed by 42 members.

That this House supports the aspiration, contained in the consultation paper, Resolving Workplace Disputes, to deal with individual employment disputes efficiently; wishes to reaffirm its belief that access to employment tribunals, which enable individuals to enforce essential employment rights, isa fundamental pillar of workplace justice; fears that the proposals, as written, will significantly worsen the ability of people to enforce their rights and will encourage poor employment practice; condemns the proposal to increase the qualifying period for unfair dismissal to two years as this would further restrictrights not to be unfairly dismissed from a significant proportion of the working population; further condemns the proposal to remove the rights of employees to have their claims for unfair dismissal heard by tribunal members with extensive practical workplace experience, leaving them to be decided by judges alone; rejects the proposals to introduce a fee to file a claim in the Employment Tribunal which would inevitably deter lower paid and vulnerable members of the community from seeking to secure their rights; and therefore calls on the Government to withdraw its proposed reforms.

Signatures by party: Labour 37, Liberal Democrat 2, Plaid Cymru 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.