Employment tribunals decide claims between employees and employers in the UK. They are less formal than the ordinary courts and were designed to be accessible to people without legal representation, though in practice most contested cases involve lawyers on at least one side.
What they hear
- Unfair dismissal, where the reason or the process was not adequate
- Discrimination connected to a protected characteristic
- Unlawful deductions from wages and unpaid holiday
- Whistleblowing detriment and various statutory rights claims
Time limits are short
Most claims must be brought within three months of the event, a far shorter window than in ordinary civil litigation. Before filing, a claimant must notify the conciliation service, which pauses the clock and offers both sides a chance to settle. A great many disputes resolve at that stage without a hearing.
Why it matters when hiring internationally
There is no cap on compensation for discrimination claims, which is what makes them materially riskier than the unfair dismissal claims employers tend to focus on. For a company employing through an Employer of Record, the provider is the legal employer and is named in a claim, but the underlying decisions are usually yours. Understanding how a provider handles a tribunal claim, and who bears the cost, is worth establishing before you need to know.