Most folk will sail through life without ever finding themslves on the wrong end of a courtroom battle. They leave education and get a suitable job and after a short while get promoted or if more modern, change up to another bigger better position. Theirs is a happy tale without any disputes with bosses or colleagues – or at least not big enough disputes to require an employment law tribunal action to resolve it. However, there are reasons why having certain legal cover built in to a fully comprehensive domestic contents insurance policy can be one of the ‘life savers’ for quite a few households. Belonging to a recognised and active union can also be a very apt course of action. For those folk who naturally assume they would not be a union fan, their services are much more comprehensive than just fighting dodgy bosses in a dispute! They often provide will writing services; and other side benefits but more importantly, after the usual qualifying membership, they will undertake to look over any dispute situation that may arise between a member and the ‘bosses’ and if they feel there is suffcient ground to bring a claim in the employment tribunals, then they will advise on the correct procedure for completing a formal claim. This is not a trivial action to be done ‘just to get one back’ on an awkward boss or line manager. It is a very serious matter and costs the union a lot in legal fees if they decide a claim merits full backing.
It is often the case though that a very experienced union convenor or negotiator will be able to tell from discussions with the claimant, early in the case whether it will go the course. If the claimant is unclear about times and dates that the perceived wrongs were committed or is unclear about what the actual complaint is all about, then there may be difficulty in pinning the claimant down to get a clear case outlined. The same goes with a claimant who is not in the union. They can call their insurance broker or supplier and request help from the legal team, who will take on board the basics of the complaint to see what cover they can offer. So often a claimant just feels slighted about something someone said, or thinks they’ve been given a poorer deal than another employee etc. To make a well presented claim, there has to be clear evidence to back up any complaint of grievance, whatever the head of claim may be. As soon as an employee feels they have a problem, they need to start taking notes recording these dates and times this was said or that action was taken. All this will form evidence in any eventual case ‘bundle’ – the mass of documents that informs the parties and the Judge of the particulars of the case. The more complicated or complex case needs the knowledge and expertise of the legal team and they wil only take on a case if there is a very good chance of it standing up and there being something to win at the end of the day.
