I help workers make sense of difficult workplace situations, prepare their case and move forward with purpose.
Union support: My advice and representation are available exclusively through the Workers of England Union.
Dale Fletcher · Employment Law Advisor & Trade Union Official
The Act is coming into force in stages. Here are two changes that affect employment claims in England.
For most claims, the usual time limit is six months minus one day if the relevant date is on or after 1 October 2026. Earlier claims can have shorter limits. The relevant date depends on the type of claim.
Check the Tribunal time limitsThe usual qualifying period falls from two years to six months of continuous employment for dismissals with an effective date of termination on or after 1 January 2027.
Read the commencement rulesWorkplace disputes often involve tight deadlines, incomplete records and difficult choices. I identify the important facts, explain the available options and help present the case clearly and persuasively.
Preparing submissions, reviewing the employer's evidence and supporting members through workplace meetings and internal procedures.
Explaining the effect of a health condition at work, identifying appropriate reasonable adjustments and presenting the relevant medical and workplace history.
Framing the factual and legal case clearly, exploring resolution through ACAS and helping members understand proposed terms, including COT3 agreements and without-prejudice offers.
Teaching members how to use the 5Ws and witnesses, gather reliable information, understand legal tests and protect important time limits.
Preparing chronologies, particulars of claim, case-management agendas, lists of issues, schedules of loss, disclosure, hearing files and witness statements.
Preparing members for preliminary and final hearings and providing representation where appropriate, including dealing with case-management directions.
Dale Fletcher is an Employment Law Advisor and Trade Union Official supporting members exclusively through the Workers of England Union. His work spans early assessment of workplace disputes, ACAS and settlement discussions, Employment Tribunal case management and hearing preparation.
The aim is not to make a case sound stronger than it is. It is to identify the legal issues, test the evidence, protect the deadline and present the strongest supportable position.
Grievances, disciplinary and appeal processes, dismissal, discrimination, disability and reasonable-adjustment issues, pay disputes and other employment concerns.
Chronologies, factual matrices, particulars, case-management agendas, lists of issues, disclosure, hearing files, witness statements and Schedules of Loss.
Reading hearing notices and CMOs, distinguishing binding orders from proposals, monitoring compliance and preparing members for preliminary and final hearings.
Presenting an evidenced position through ACAS and without-prejudice discussions, explaining settlement terms and preparing for a COT3 or hearing where appropriate.
The card contains Dale's direct business contact details and the Workers of England Union head-office information. Individual employment support remains available exclusively through the Union.
A strong case starts with accurate dates, reliable documents and a clear explanation of what happened. The member guide explains how to organise that material, understand Tribunal time limits, approach ACAS and learn from leading decisions.
Work through a practical framework covering who, what, when, where, why and the people who can give first-hand evidence.
Read the member claim guideGood representation begins with the detail: who was involved, what was said, when it happened and what the documents show.
“It’s not what you know; it’s what you can prove.”
Review the key dates, people, documents and the result you want to achieve.
Separate the strongest points from the background and address gaps in the available evidence.
Present the case clearly and prepare for the meeting, appeal, negotiation or Tribunal stage ahead.
These composite examples reflect recurring work undertaken for Union members. They show the method rather than identify a person, employer or confidential outcome.
Several notices, proposed dates and later correspondence made it unclear which obligations were binding and what had changed.
The actual Tribunal orders were checked against later variations and completion evidence. A deadline map, agenda and proposed list of issues were then prepared.
Ordered tasks were separated from non-binding proposals, immediate priorities were clear and the member could prepare for the Preliminary Hearing on the correct footing.
The case depended on more than a diagnosis: functional effects, employer knowledge, workplace disadvantage and possible adjustments all required evidence.
Medical and occupational-health material, adjustment requests, responses, key dates and witnesses were organised around each part of the legal test.
Gaps were identified early, the factual issues became more precise and the member was better equipped for disclosure, negotiation and Tribunal directions.
A member needed to understand both the evidential value of the claim and the financial effect of an offer.
The chronology, witness evidence, mitigation records and Schedule of Loss were developed together, then used to assess ACAS or without-prejudice proposals.
The member could compare settlement terms with an evidenced valuation. If agreement was appropriate it could be recorded formally; if not, the case remained prepared for hearing.
No example predicts another case. Outcomes depend on jurisdiction, time limits, pleadings, evidence, credibility, legal tests and the Tribunal's findings. Details above are deliberately combined and simplified to protect confidentiality.
Giving me the right information at the outset helps identify urgent deadlines and the most useful next step.
My employment advice and representation are available exclusively through the Workers of England Union. If you are not yet a member, use the WEU membership portal to find out how to join.
Provide a short summary, the key dates, details of any upcoming meeting or deadline and the outcome you are seeking. Please wait before sending large files or sensitive medical records unless requested.
Put the date of any hearing, appeal, ACAS or Employment Tribunal deadline in the subject line. Contacting me early allows more time to review the position and prepare.
I will review the initial information, identify any immediate priorities and explain the next practical step available through the Union.
Support through this site is available exclusively to Workers of England Union members. Existing members can contact me about an employment matter. For general Union enquiries, membership or updates, use one of the official WEU links.
