Tuesday, 27 September 2005

Compulsory ET1 and ET3 Forms

As subscribers will know, use of the 'official' ET1 and ET3 forms becomes compulsory from next week.

Following comments made at user group meetings in Cardiff and Bristol, it seems tribunal staff are being trained to accept and reject the following...

Acceptable from 1st October 2005
  • riders (i.e. separate attached sheets);
  • a pdf version of the forms which will soon appear on the Emplotment Tribunals website which can be downloaded and completed offline (the ETS will be providing software to enable users to fill in these forms - I am told this is likely to happen over the weekend);
  • faxed ET1 / ET3 forms; and
  • black and white photocopies of ET1 / ET3 forms (but note that the coloured guidance notes and text boxes on the forms may not reproduce on a b&w photocopy).

Not acceptable from 1st October 2005
  • any in-house or commercial version that is not produced by the ETS.
Note that the reason for requiring the forms to be asbolutely identical to the prescribed version is to enable them to be scanned in to the new ETS case management system.

The administrative staff at the tribunal offices have all received extensive training in what forms to accept (and reject!) from next week.

The lesson is simple: use the official forms. If you don't have them, they are available on the ETS website.

Further information can be obtained from the Employment Tribunals Service Public Enquiry Line on 0845 7959775.

ETS website - download forms from here

[Thanks to Barry Clarke of Russell Jones & Walker for providing the above information]

No comments: