Struck Out

Why Employment Tribunals Fail Workers and What Can Be Done

David Renton

Every year, over a hundred thousand workers bring claims to an Employment Tribunal. The settling of disputes between employers and unions has been exchanged by many for individual litigation.

In Struck Out, barrister David Renton gives a practical and critical guide to the system. In doing so he punctures a number of media myths about the Tribunals. Far from bringing flimsy cases, two-thirds of claimants succeed at the hearing. And rather than paying lottery-size jackpots, average awards are just a few thousand pounds – scant consolation for a loss of employment and often serious psychological suffering. The book includes a critique of the present government’s proposals to reform the Tribunal system.

Employment Tribunals are often seen by workers as the last line of defence against unfairness in the workplace. Struck Out shows why we can’t rely on the current system to deliver fairness and why big changes are needed.

Contents

. The Tribunal Obstacle Race
2. How the Tribunal System was Established
3. Agency Workers
4. Equal Pay
5. Why do so few Race Cases Win?
6. Human Rights Decisions in the Tribunal
7. Unions and the Law
8. The Common Law
9. Employment Tribunals in Crisis?

About the Author

David Renton is a barrister at Garden Court chambers in London and appears regularly for claimants at Employment Tribunals. Before being called to the Bar, Renton was a lecturer, senior researcher, and visiting professor in the UK and South Africa. He writes on employment law for the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and is the author of Fascism (Pluto, 1999).