Plans to streamline equal value tribunal cases that will help cut down the time cases take has been announced.
These tribunal cases involve workers claiming equal pay on the basis that they are doing work of equal value to that of someone of the opposite sex, rather than the same or a similar job. Currently even straightforward equal value cases can take up to two years to complete and some much longer.
‘Towards Equal Pay: A Consultation On Proposals To Streamline Equal Value Tribunal Procedures’ proposes to introduce a timetable to act as a guide to the tribunal to help manage the process, and to create a readily available pool of specially trained tribunal chairmen to help reduce delays in the system.
The introduction of the proposals could mean that on average the whole process takes six to nine months, with straightforward cases being resolved even quicker and the time taken in more complex cases reduced to around 18 months.
The 12-week consultation on these proposals will finish on 10 June 2004, with a view to the regulations being laid before Parliament this summer.
“We are determined to tackle unequal pay. These new rules should result in a more efficient service and delivery of swifter justice. We want to simplify and speed up the whole process,” said Jacqui Smith, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality.
“Currently, even quite basic facts about the jobs in question can take far too long to emerge. Lengthy cases can be costly, time-consuming and stressful for all concerned and are not in anyone’s interest,” she said.
