“Trade unions have declared victory as Labour bolstered a string of measures in its workers’ rights bill,” says your report (4 March). However, there are two facts that the government has failed to take on board and the bill fails to address.
First, that without union assistance or incurring substantial costs, it is almost impossible to obtain anything more than the most cursory advice, let alone representation, in relation to the understanding and enforcement of what are often complex rights.
Second, that underresourced employment tribunals are already overwhelmed by their current workload and will be incapable of dealing with the massive increase in claims which, it is acknowledged, will follow when the rights are in force.
It is well established that, for every £1 spent on legal advice, there is nearly a threefold saving on the public purse. Until these issues are addressed by properly funding legal assistance and the tribunal service, these new rights will prove largely illusory.
Andrew Hillier KC
Chair, Employment Legal Advice Network
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