FBU Employment Law in Practice

This is a new course designed specifically to support regional officials who receive legal assistance applications from members and are involved in assessing and evaluating those claims before they progress.

Moving beyond the basics of employment law, this course will explore how the law applies in practice and how the legal assistance available through the union can be used most effectively for members. Officials will analyse exemplar cases at the initial assessment stage to extend knowledge and skills, considering how time limits apply and other factors. There will be an opportunity to investigate and examine the employment tribunal process, exploring applicability and alternatives. The course will analyse how discrimination is interpreted in a legal context and how members’ cases can be evaluated within this framework. Finally officials will enhance their communication skills, improving their confidence in explaining and justifying their evaluation to members and ensuring that the member receives the best support possible in their individual situation.

The course will be led by an expert employment law tutor with extensive first-hand experience of the application of employment law in trade union environments who has a Masters degree in employment law, a PhD in industrial relations and fifteen years’ experience as a union lay official in the transport industry.