Tribunal case details to go public

Employment practitioners were divided last week following a High Court ruling which will allow public access to full details of employment tribunal cases.In his judgment, Mr Justice Jackson ruled that the secretary to the employment tribunals acted unlawfully in restricting access to the names of the parties and a bare description of the claim.

He added that it had always been public policy that litigation should be conducted in the open 'under public scrutiny and gaze'.

Interested parties will now be able to apply to see full claim details and allegations.Richard Hegarty, chairman of the Law Society's employment law committee, said he was concerned that the decision might discourage people from bringing actions, particularly in race and sex discrimination cases, if details were made public.The decision followed an action by the whistleblowers' charity, Public Concern at Work.

The group challenged a government decision to keep secret details of cases brought under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which came into force last July.

David Ruebain, a partner at London firm David Levene & Co who acted for the charity, said it was a good decision which 'did no more than existing legislation required'.X R v The Secretary to the Employment Tribunals ex parte Public Concern at Work (unreported).Sue Allen