In 2003, the Government issued a consultation document in which they stated that the statutory minimum, dismissal and disciplinary and grievance procedures “will create strong incentives for the parties to attempt, in the first instance, to resolve problems through dialogue. We expect it to help forestall legal action, especially in those workplaces where such procedures have not previously existed or been used…”
Whilst there are few who would disagree that these intentions were good, the statutory procedures, in practice, have fallen a long way short of these aims.
The new procedures were introduced in October 2004 but Tribunal claims have continued to increase, the latest figures (for the year ending 31 March 2007) show a 15% rise in the number of claims on the previous year. Unfortunately, many cases have related to the interpretation of the procedures themselves.
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