Rule 33 of the Employment Tribunals (Constitution & Rules etc) Regs 2004. Regulation 33 (2) would apply to the application and it states:
“the application must state the reasons why the default judgement should be varied or revoked. When it is the Respondent applying to have the default judgement reviewed, the application must include with it the Respondent’s proposed response to the claim [where that has not been received by the employment tribunal] an application for an extension of the time limit for presenting the response and an explanation of why rules 4(1) and (4) were not complied with.”
Rule 4(1) deals with presenting the response within 28 days of receiving a copy of the claim. Rule 4(4) states that subject to “rule 33 the employment judge shall only extend the time within which a response may be presented if he is satisfied that it is just and equitable to do so.”
Request for extension should have been made pursuant to Rule 4(1), 4(4), setting out why it is just and equitable to extend the time limit for submission of the response.
According to 33(1) when read with 33(2) the request for extension of time for submission of the response should be in the request for review. The rule states that the application for extension of time should be within 14 days of receipt of the default judgement.
Rule 33(6) requires a good reason why the response has not been presented in the applicable time limit. Rule 33(2A) allows employment judges to refuse applications without need for hearing where the requirements of rule 33 paragraph (2) have not been met.
Rule 33(5) There should be a reasonable prospect of successfully responding to the claim or part of it. The EAT in Pestle & Mortar v Turner UKEAT/0652/05 stated that this was a point the tribunal should take into account in exercising their discretion.
In the Pestle case it was held that it was necessary to weigh the balance of prejudice to each of the parties in the case as regards revoking the default judgement.
In Kwik Save Stores Ltd v Swain [1997] ICR 49 EAT per Mummery P who held that the relevant factors to consider are:
1.the explanation for the non-compliance
2.the merits of the events
3.the balance of possible prejudice to each party
Rule 4A requires the application to include notification to all parties that any objection to the application must be sent to the employment tribunal within seven days of receiving the application or, if a hearing of any type is due to take place before the expiry of that seven day period, before the date of that hearing and that any objection to the application must be copied to both the employment tribunal office and all other parties.
Parties need to confirm (where represented) that they have complied with their obligations under Regulation 11 (4) schedule 1 of the employment tribunal (constitution and rules of procedure) Regulations 2004 and that a copy of correspondence has been sent to other party’s solicitors.
Constructive Dismissal Grounds
Fairbrother v Abbey National plc [2007] IRLR 320 EAT obligation to ascertain:
1.What the conduct of the employer complained of is,
2.Consider whether the employer had reasonable and proper calls for the conduct including consideration of whether it its actions was within the range of reasonable responses and if not
3.Was the conduct complained of calculating to destroy or seriously damaged the employer/employee relationship of trust and confidence.
Reasonable band of responses as held in Iceland Frozen Foods Ltd v Jones [1982] IRLR 439 and Foley v Post Office; HSBC Bank plc v Madden [2000] IRLR 827 CA.
Section 123 of the Equality Act 2011: Discretion to extend time for submission of the ET1 when it is just and equitable to do so.
Dedman v British Building and Engineering Appliances Ltd [1974] ICR 53 which states that a liberal interpretation in favour of the employee should be adopted by the tribunal.
British Coal Corporation v Keeble [1997] IRLR 336 as referred to by Judge McMullen QC in Chohan v Derby Law Centre [2004] IRLR 685 which states that the availability of legal advice is a relevant question, to decide when considering whether it is just and equitable to extend the time limit for submission.
In Berry v Ravensbourne National Health Service Trust [1993] ICR 871, it was held that where an unfair dismissal claim was followed by a claim of race discrimination 8 months later, as the facts overlapped it was just and equitable in the circumstances for the time for submission of the race discrimination claim to be extended.
Virdi v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2007] IRLR 24 it was held that the fault of a solicitor will be a “highly material” factor in deciding whether to extend time on a just and equitable basis to allow a complaint of discrimination to proceed out of time.
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