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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.

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