The Rules of Procedure, the government’s rulebook for Employment Tribunals, have now changed. Here’s a breakdown of why this has happened and what’s different about the updated rules.
Since 6 January 2025, the Rules of Procedure set out in Schedule 1 to the Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2013 have been replaced with the Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024
This is mainly because the body responsible for making the rules is now the Tribunal Procedure Committee. It was previously the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
The changes have been made with the aim of making the rules easier to follow and to remove some of the bottlenecks in the Tribunal process.
The changes to the rules are all fairly minor. If you’re currently making a claim, the impact on how you prepare for and present your case should be minimal. However, it’s worth taking note of the key changes:
Minor drafting updates have been made to the rules to align with contemporary standards and clarify ambiguities.
As there are no Employment Tribunal fees, they are no longer referenced in the rules.
Tribunal decisions and written reasons no longer require a physical or electronic signature. Instead, the judge will approve them digitally.
Legal officers (i.e. non-judges) can now perform a greater number of functions. However, if you disagree with a legal officer's decision, you can still request a review from a judge. This change aims to improve efficiency while keeping the necessary safeguards in place.
As always, we’ll be keeping a close eye on any other changes that the government makes to the rules around the Employment Tribunal process.
Keep an eye on our blog for further updates – or sign up to our newsletter to get the news straight to your inbox.