Where does one go to find good fact sheets to give to Claimants? 

What is a Claimant?  A Claimant is usually the term given to an employee who wants to make a claim against their employer. 

Is there enough awareness amongst employers of their obligations under the law?  Too often employers, especially small ones are still unaware of their duties under employment law.  Even more ignorant, often, are the employees, who are also not aware of their rights.  This is usually found in the case of bullying and harassment, where employees were not aware of the grievance procedures that are available to them to seek assistance.

Is there a comprehensive website you can go to find out your employment rights? It was when I was volunteering myself in a community law centre, that I came across some excellent resources from the Central London Law Centre.  Since then, I have made sure I kept a note of the links to these publications.  I still find these to be helpful handouts, that provide clear explanations in easy to understand, plain English.

The Central London Law Centre publications for employees explain how to deal with a grievance at work, or steps to take if you believe you have been unfairly dismissed.  Their resources are also an invaluable reference guide to advisers working in employment law.

Three resources you will want to consult are:

(1)  Identifying Employment Cases;

(2) Discrimination in Employment; and

(3) A Claimant’s Companion to the Employment Tribunal written by Tamara Lewis.

The employment unit has over 20 years experience in discrimination law cases.  In addition to providing advice to the general public, the employment team also run training courses to other Law Centres, Trade Unions, Citizens Advice Bureau’s and other advice agencies.   These training courses cover a range of issues including ”race, sex, disability, religion and age discrimination, sexual harassment, unfair dismissal, redundancy, unilateral variation of contract, TUPE, drafting of tribunal claims, preparing cases for Employment Tribunals, representation at Employment Tribunals”.

The Central London Law Centre also has a number of questionnaires that you can purchase for use with an employment claim.  If you live in London are seeking assistance with an employment matter, check  this map to see if you live within their catchment area.  Their local catchment area is within the boundaries of Euston Road to the north, Kingsway to the east, the Strand to the south and Regent Street to the west.   If you live within their catchment area, then you will need to telephone them first to book an appointment to see an employment adviser.  The telephone number is 020 7839 2998 020 7839 2998, and they are located at 19 Whitcomb Street, London WC2H 7HA.