The work of the Employment Appeal Tribunal

The Employment Appeal Tribunal is an independent tribunal which determines legal disputes relating to employment law throughout Great Britain. The Employment Appeal Tribunal is a superior court of record (section 20 Employment Tribunals Act 1996).

Most of the work of the Employment Appeal Tribunal relates to appeals against decisions made by the Employment Tribunal. An appeal lies to the Employment Appeal Tribunal against a decision of the Employment Tribunal on any question of law, as provided by section 21 Employment Tribunals Act 1996, where a legal mistake may have been made in the case. This might be because the Employment Tribunal:

  • got the law wrong
  • didn’t apply the correct law
  • didn’t follow the correct procedures and this affected the decision
  • had no evidence to support its decision

The Employment Appeal Tribunal also hears appeals and applications about decisions made by the certification officer and the Central Arbitration Committee. The Employment Appeal Tribunal has limited original jurisdiction, arising from the provisions of the Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 1999, and the European Public Limited-Liability Regulations 2004.