Our team of employment law solicitors in Birmingham & Solihull provide a comprehensive service, covering all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law and HR support.
All aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law and HR support is covered through our comprehensive law service. Our expert team of Birmingham & Solihull based employment solicitors provide advice and support for every step of the employment tribunal process for both claimants and respondents alike.
Employment Tribunals Birmingham
Employment tribunals are legal hearings that take place in order to handle disputes regarding employment rights between employers and employees. They are used when conflict cannot be resolved in a less formal manner, such as with review meetings. Employment tribunal claims can also be raised against a trade union. Whilst generally not as formal as court hearings, the decisions made in tribunals are still legally binding.
When to Raise a Claim
Disputes which often result in employment tribunals include, but are not limited to, issues involving:
- Equal pay
- Redundancy payments
- Unfair dismissal
- Sexism
- Racism
- Discrimination based on religion or belief
- Homophobia
- Age disrcimnation
- Disability discrimination
- Sexual orientation and religion or belief can be taken to an employment tribunal to be resolved.
If you don’t believe that the dispute can be appropriately handled internally through the company itself, then it is vital to begin the process of lodging a claim for an employment tribunal as quick as possible.
How to Lodge a Claim
In most cases, a claim must be three months of the last day of your employment (or of the incident which you are raising an issue with taking place). If you have missed this deadline it is important not to panic. An extension of time can still be obtained in many cases to resolve the dispute through early conciliation.
Before lodging a claim with the employment tribunal, you must first submit an ET1 claim form. Prior to this, it is also a legal requirement to contact ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) and notify them of the dispute to see if there is any possibility of resolving the issue through less formal means.
An expert employment law solicitor can assist you in all of the necessary steps of this process, whilst advising what course of action is best to take in order to result in a successful claim.
What Happens After a Claim is Made
After the claim is lodged, the employee will be referred to as ‘the claimant’ and the employer will be known as ‘the respondent’. The individual or organisation against whom the claimant is in dispute will have the opportunity to formally respond by submitting their accounts of the event to the employment tribunal.
After this, both the claimant and respondent will continue to provide evidence and relevant information in regards to their case. Witness statements will also be exchanged before the matter is finally progressed to a hearing at the employment tribunal. Both sides of the exchange will be in attendance at the hearing, alongside any formal representatives.
Necessary questions will be asked at the hearing alongside all evidence which is given. In light of this information, the employment tribunal will come to a conclusion regarding whether the claimant making the claim has just reason for compensation, alongside how much this will be.
If you are wishing to lodge an employment tribunal claim, or are having one made against yourself or your company, then it is vital to invest in the expert employment law advice and services of an experienced law firm. The solicitors you are working with must take the effort to understand the precise nature of your situation and help yourself and/or your company to reach an ideal conclusion.
We offer services for employment tribunals in Solihull and Birmingham. Feel free to get in touch with us today regarding the employment tribunal process. We’ll be able to offer expert advice and guide you through the process to ensure the best possible outcome.
