MEDIA RELEASE

16 March 2004

Court Proposals Increase
the Cost of Justice

“The Law Commission proposal to demote the Employment Court will legalise employment disputes and increase the cost of justice for workers,” Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

A Law Commission Report released today recommended making the Employment Court subservient to the High Court, replacing the present direct appeal to the Court of Appeal.

“The proposals would mean that employment disputes would potentially be considered at five different levels of the justice system,” Ross Wilson said. “That would be a lawyer’s dream but only big employers could afford it.”

The CTU also opposed the proposed “lawyers only” monopoly for appointments to the Employment Relations Authority, he said.

“The employment law institutions are working well,” Ross Wilson said. “The Law Commission report is a classic case of a proposal to fix something which isn’t broken.”

ENDS

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