New title of 'Employment Judge' created for tribunals
11 December 2007
Employment Tribunal Chairmen have now been renamed Employment Judges under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 which came into effect as from 1 December 2007. This alternative title should accurately reflect the size and importance of the current role and provide those who are then appointed with a gateway to promotion through the ranks of the judiciary, where at present they are lacking.
The change of name is also hoped to encourage people who might otherwise have been reluctant to apply for the position of what has previously been termed 'chairman' or 'chair' to put their names forward. It is hoped that new applicants will include those from ethnic minorities, and women. Whether this will actually have the desired effect is open for debate.
For representatives and litigants, the most significant change will be to correspondence. Where previously you would have written ‘Please put this application before a Chairman’, you should now write “Please put this application before a Judge’ and so on.
During a hearing, Employment Judges will be addressed as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’, as before.
Latest Events
- July 2008
Forthcoming Events
