Scotland to scrap tribunal fees

Employment tribunal fees could be abolished north of the border.

A Scottish Government paper published this week, "A Stronger Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2015-16", pledges to scrap the fees, stating: “We will abolish fees for employment tribunals, when we are clear on how the transfer of powers and responsibilities will work. We will consult on the shape of services that can best support people’s access to employment justice as part of the transfer of the powers for Employment Tribunals to Scotland.”

Unison’s legal challenge against the fees in England and Wales failed in the Court of Appeal last month, in R (oao Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2015] EWCA Civ 935.