The following has been supplied by the TUC:
Union protests marked the introduction on 29 July of new fees of up to £1,200 for workers taking employment tribunal cases against their employers. The charges apply to tribunal complaints about issues including victimisation for safety activities, sexual harassment or race discrimination. The TUC general secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: 'Today is a great day for Britain's worst bosses,' adding the upfront fees were 'making it easier for employers to get away with the most appalling behaviour.' She added: 'These reforms are part of a wider campaign to get rid of workers' basic rights at work. Its only achievement will be to price vulnerable people out of justice.' Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the introduction of fees was a 'throwback to Victorian times.' He added: 'Seeking redress for unfair dismissal and discrimination and other injustices in the workplace is a fundamental human right - but now ministers are putting up insurmountable financial hurdles for working people in pursuit of justice. We estimate that this will affect 150,000 workers a year. This is not an aid to economic recovery but a means to keep working people frightened and insecure.' The Unite leader warned: 'Unite will not stand idly by and let its members suffer such treatment - and the union will financially support members at employment tribunals. We will be campaigning strongly for this pernicious legislation to be repealed with the advent of a Labour government.' GMB senior organiser Andy Prendergast, whose union held a protest outside the Central London Employment Tribunals, said: 'With the introduction of employment tribunal fees, the government has given a green light to bad employers to continue exploiting their staff.' A ruling this week by the Royal Courts of Justice gave UNISON permission for a Judicial Review hearing in October to challenge the tribunal fees.
