Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Home

Insights

Resources

Blogs

The EAT urges employment judges to be cautious when considering striking out unfair dismissal claims

the EAT urges employment judges to be cautious when considering striking out unfair dismissal claims

15 July 2011

Employers often approach us looking for ways to reduce their litigation costs. One of the ways in which we do this is to get the most frivolous claims struck out, thus negating the need for a full hearing.

In the future this may be more difficult due to the recent case of Reilly v Tayside Public Transport. In this case the EAT suggested that an employment judge should not strike out unfair dismissal claims as having no reasonable prospect of success, where the principal issue is whether the dismissal fell within the range of reasonable responses.

If judges require more cases to go to a full hearing then there will be an associated increase in costs for employers. With the current financial pressures on businesses, especially in the public sector, it will be important to see how tribunals react to the judgement.

related opinions

Is it reasonable to dismiss an employee without any prior procedure being followed as a result of a breakdown in relations?

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld the Employment Tribunal’s (ET) finding that a dismissal may be fair despite no prior procedure being followed.

View blog

Furloughed employees entitled to full pay for redundancy purposes

The government has brought in new legislation to ensure that any employees who have been furloughed will have their statutory redundancy pay calculated based on their full-time wages as opposed their furloughed pay in the event that they are made redundant.

View blog