Employment Law Watch : Employment & Labor Lawyer & Attorney : Reed Smith Law Firm

A recent decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Eagles v Rugged Systems has confirmed the position as to the circumstances in which an Employment Tribunal should exercise its discretion to extend the ordinary three-month time limit for presenting a claim in the Employment Tribunal for an extra three months under the statutory dispute resolution regulations (repealed on 6^th April 2009). The decision will be of interest to employers dealing with recent claims for unfair dismissal or who are currently negotiating compromise agreements or dealing with ongoing dismissal procedures in cases where, on a time limit transitional basis, the statutory dispute resolution procedures still apply.

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The Regulations bringing parts of the Employment Act 2008 into force on 6^th April 2009 also introduce transitional arrangements for the removal of the statutory dispute resolution procedures. These regulations provide for one set of arrangements for dismissal and disciplinary actions, and another for grievances. These changes will be important for all HR managers and line managers. In particular, the transitional arrangements relating to grievances may catch many employers out in the year ahead.

The Employment Act 2008 (Commencement No. 1, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2008

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Regulations to amend the 2004 Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure have been laid before Parliament and will come into effect on 6^th April 2009. These changes will be relevant to all practitioners and HR managers involved in Tribunal proceedings – take note in particular of the changes regarding making a request to extend time for filing a Response.   

The Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2008

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Some important legislative changes are planned for 2009, including the abolition of the statutory dispute resolution procedures and the extension of the right to request flexible working for parents with children under 16. Read on for a summary of these and other expected developments which may affect your business in the year ahead.

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The Secretary of State has approved the new draft ACAS Code of Practice on discipline and grievances following public consultation. The new draft Code has been revised to take into account the changes proposed to be made to workplace dispute resolution procedures by the Employment Act 2008, which received Royal Assent on 13^th November.

In the consultation, which ended in July this year, the draft Code was criticised for being too vague, which it was suggested, could have led to increased litigation. The revised Code has addressed some of these concerns by adding more detail, but this may have the effect of restricting flexibility and leave employers open to challenge when mistakes or omissions are made.   Employers should now think about what changes are needed to disciplinary and dismissal, capability, performance and grievance policies in time for 6 April 2009 when the Code is likely to come into force.

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The Scottish Court of Session in the case of Cannop & Others –v- The Highland Council has confirmed that where the employee’s Employment Tribunal claim follows on from a grievance previously communicated, there does need to be a necessary relationship between the grievance and the complaint pleaded in the ET1 Tribunal claim form, so that the grievance underlying the ET1 is essentially the same as the grievance earlier communicated. In respect equal pay claims, the Court declined to comment on the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s decision that the relevant grievance must refer to the comparators which are subsequently cited in the ET1.

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On 2 May 2008, ACAS published a new draft Code of practice on discipline and grievances for public consultation. The Code has been revised to take into account the changes proposed to be made to workplace dispute resolution by the Employment Bill, currently before Parliament, and in particular the forthcoming abolition of the statutory dispute resolution procedures.

Consultation Paper and draft Code of Practice

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In Towergate London Market Ltd v Harris the Court of Appeal held that a claimant was entitled to a three-month time extension to bring her unfair dismissal claim, since she had reasonable grounds to believe that a dismissal procedure was ongoing upon the expiry of the original time limit. The Court reached this conclusion despite the fact that the claimant had not appealed internally against her dismissal under any formal process, but rather had raised a post-employment 'grievance' with her employer.

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