Addressing delegates at the conference in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary said: “As trade unionists, we have a strong sense of justice. When someone is the victim of a crime, or are mistreated at work, or have a legal problem in their personal life, we want to see justice served. We want laws that protect us all and we want a fair, funded and functioning justice system to enforce them.
“There are unacceptable delays in employment tribunal hearings, with waiting times of two years or even more. At the centre of each of these is a person who deserves to have their case heard and the proper legal process followed. Long waiting times leave people living in limbo, unable to move on with their lives, and the prospect of those waiting times can put people off taking a case in the first place.
“Giving rogue employers free licence to breach employment rights. The Employment Rights Bill has the potential to transform workers' rights, but those rights must be enforced to be effective. Government commitments to improve the backlog and reduce waiting times are welcome. We are clear that this must not come at the expense of those making a claim. Any return of employment tribunal fees would see justice limited to those that could afford it and it would punish those on low incomes.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion