If you believe you have lost your job without good reason there is no need to sit back and do nothing
. You have a right to claim for unfair dismissal and there are lawyers who are able to help. Before you begin to worry about cost it is worth noting you can receive help from lawyers on a no win, no fee basis, so if you lose you will not have to pay out for fees, leaving you short. If you are interested in making a claim here is a breakdown of the process and what you can expect.
Before you contact the Employment Tribunal it is important to be able to show you have tried to resolve the situation on your own. You can do this through letters and it is important to keep a copy of any correspondence you send or receive. Also record times and details of phone conversations or meetings to show as evidence.
If your attempts at resolving the situation fall on deaf ears you will then need to contact a lawyer and fill in an ET1 form. Your lawyer will be happy to help you with this if you wish, and then the tribunal office will send a copy of the form off to your old employer. They have to respond within 28 days if they wish to defend themselves, if they do not respond the claim will be heard and the outcome will be enforced by the County Court.
If your employer responds they will be able to attend the Employment Tribunal and put their case forward. Cross examinations may take place and it will be down to the judge and the other members of the Employment Tribunal to come up with a verdict.
If you win your claim the level of compensation you receive will be decided for you by the judge. There are three possible outcomes. These are being offered your old job back and compensation for the loss of earnings you incurred, being offered another position or being financially compensated if you are no longer on good terms with your old employers.
The amount of compensation you receive is worked out using a basic award and a compensatory award. The basic award is worked out by taking into account the amount of time you worked for the company, your age and your earnings. The compensatory award has a cap at sixty eight thousand pounds and this is in order to compensate you for expenses you incurred from your loss of employment as well as loss of earnings or benefits.
If you are not sure whether your situation is classed as unfair dismissal it is worth contacting lawyers to find out more. They will be able to evaluate your situation and work out if you have a good chance of winning compensation.