I refer to the letter from Martin Mears (see [2008] Gazette, 11 December, 10). It is titled ‘Tribunal judges must be impartial.’ They certainly are. The advertisement that appeared in the Gazette on 4 December was an error on the part of the Judicial Appointments Commission; Mears’ letter simply compounds the misrepresentation of employment tribunals’ functions. Employment judges are appointed for their legal knowledge and their ability to act impartially. They sit with members who are representative of both employers and employees. The duty of the tribunal as a whole is to do justice in a particular case, and this does not merely mean upholding the rights of workers. Tribunals have a comprehensive training programme which emphasises the importance of fair hearings with a just outcome, in accordance with the evidence and the law. Practitioners who have appeared before tribunals will know that the advertisement could be nothing other than a monumental mistake on the part of the commission. For Mr Mears to draw on that mistake to bolster his criticisms of employment tribunals is unfair and has no foundation in fact.

The record needs to be put right. Gazette readers who wish to apply for judicial appointment in tribunals should know that there is no change in policy or practice regarding tribunals’ obligation to apply the law without fear or favour.

GHK Meeran President of the Employment Tribunals (England & Wales)