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Union men are losing faith in tribunals
Page 19
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NDUSTRIAL tribunals, particularly those for unfair disnissal, are making trades unionists increasingly disillusioned t was claimed at last month's TUC West Midland Regional :ouncil.
Chairman and Transport and ;eneral Workers Union regional ectretary Brian Mothers ttacked the lawyer-like pracces. -Decisions based on case tw have superseded the system f dealing with each case on an tdividual basis and, in conseuence, this has encouraged the rowth of legal representations
and has created a 'lawyers' paradise' which we judge to be to the detriment of workingclass interests."
According to figures for 1978 (the latest available), 34,180 cases of unfair dismissal passed through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). Of these, 22,352 (65.4 per cent) were conciliated and the balance of 11,828 (34.6 per cent) were heard before industrial tribunals.
These figures show that just over one-third of cases reach a tribunal hearing and of the cases heard, less than one-third are upheld (that is, dismissal was found to be unfair).
The Government has since amended the Employment Protection Act 1975 so that employees cannot bring a case of unfair dismissal until they have been employed for 52 weeks, compared with 26 weeks previously.
It was suggested at last month's meeting that unions should reassess their position at tribunals, especially in relation to the Tory Employment Bill:'