Select Committee adopts FRU recommendation on tribunal applications

The Women and Equalities Select Committee has today published its inquiry report into sexual harassment in the workplace. FRU was invited to submit written and oral evidence to the Committee and the report cites our Principal Legal Officer Michael Reed’s oral evidence at several points. FRU is pleased that the Committee adopted one of our recommendations; that the three-month time limit for applications to the employment tribunal should be extended.

FRU Chief Executive David Abbott said:

“Sexual harassment in the workplace is a major concern. FRU was pleased to be invited to submit written and oral evidence to the Committee based on our extensive experience of representing victims of harassment.

We are pleased that the committee was persuaded that the three-month time limit is too short and hope that the government will now implement the Committee’s recommendation. We were also pleased that the Committee recommended tribunals should be able to award punitive damages and there should be a presumption that tribunals will normally require employers to pay employees’ costs if the employer loses a discrimination case in which sexual harassment has been alleged. However FRU still believes that legal aid should be extended to cover legal advice and representation in these complex and demanding proceedings”.

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmwomeq/725/72502.htm