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02 December 2011 / Stephen Levinson
Issue: 7492 / Categories: Opinion , Tribunals , Employment
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Playing with perceptions

Stephen Levinson puts Vince Cable’s new regime for employment tribunals under the spotlight

The new regime for employment tribunals revealed by the Business Secretary is a product of a variety of motives. Politics and money were the principal drivers and their effect will be analysed in this article, which will suggest that while their overall impact is mixed some will cause long-term damage to a system that has many merits as well as recognised flaws.

Good sense

First, it has to be recognised that some very welcome changes are to be made. The proposals for encouraging early conciliation and mediation, streamlining compromise agreements and redrafting s147 Equality Act 2010 all make sense and are to be encouraged. In addition rewriting the whistle blowing laws to prevent employees bringing claims based on complaints about breaches of their own contracts is long overdue. Also on the list of sensible ideas is the fundamental review of tribunal rules to be carried out by Mr Justice Underhill; and the removal of some of the absurdities of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

NEWS
A time-restricted bank tax, a ‘roadmap to fiscal devolution’, extension to parental leave, entrepreneur’s relief and a giveaway on energy bills for households are the headlines in Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey’s 2026 Autumn Budget
A Court of Appeal judge has lamented the ‘very concerning’ state of the law on employee inventor compensation after a chemist’s case took five-and-a-half years to reach court, eventually being listed for a 37-day trial next year
The Law Society has emphasised that responsibility remains human, in a practice note on artificial intelligence (AI)
Respect orders, which enable police, councils, housing associations, transport networks and other authorities to take enforcement action against anti-social behaviour, have come into force across England and Wales
The Land Registry has launched two consultations aimed at making its information more publicly accessible, ‘Restructuring HM Land Registry fees’, and ‘Future of access to HM Land Registry information’
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