Kiran Daurka, an employment lawyer at employment law specialists Slater & Gordon said “Whilst this is a depressing statistic, it is not surprising to us. We rightly feared that the introduction of fees would be a substantial hurdle to accessing justice for everyday workers and employees, and our concerns have been borne out.
The Government sought to justify the fees by stating that they would weed out unreasonable claims, but we can see that the fees have deterred a large number of claims, including genuine claims that should have been commenced in the tribunal. The fees have had a very detrimental impact on wronged workers who are now unable to seek justice.
“The biggest groups of people that are losing out are mothers and disabled workers who are amongst the most discriminated groups of people in the workplace. They should have access to justice just as much as anyone else and it’s a sad day when so many people feel that justice is unaffordable to them. ”
“My advice to anyone with an issue at work is to speak to a lawyer as soon as possible and get as much assistance and support in dealing with their case as early as possible.”
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The employment law team at Slater & Gordon are able to provide advice, guidance and representation on all aspects of discrimination at work.