Employment tribunals—at breaking point?

• ELA’s 2021 member survey has exposed a crumbling and chronically underfunded tribunal system which is beset by delays and a lack of staff.

Earlier this year, the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) commissioned an online survey of its members, the results of which revealed that the country’s employment system is in crisis. ELA is an unaffiliated and non-political group of some 6,000 lawyers who practise in the field of employment law, comprising those who represent claimants and respondents/defendants in the employment tribunals and courts, and who advise both employees/workers and employers.

ELA’s 2021 survey was conducted this April and May, by a third-party consultancy. The survey included questions about member experiences with employment tribunals, the backlog of claims, remote hearings, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). The sample obtained responses from around 25% of ELA’s membership of 6,000 employment lawyers. The full results of the survey can be found