Unison legal battle against employment tribunal fees faces Supreme Court ruling

A union challenge to controversial fees for taking a case to an employment tribunal reaches its final stage today with a ruling by the UK's highest court.

Unison launched a legal battle against fees of up to £1,200, which it has argued are preventing many workers, especially the low-paid, getting justice.

A review of the impact of the fees earlier this year showed there had been a 70% drop in the number of cases since they were introduced in 2013.

Low-paid women, especially those treated unfairly when they were pregnant or on maternity leave, were the biggest losers, an analysis by Unison found.

Unison lost cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal but continued its legal challenge in the Supreme Court, which is expected to hand down its decision today.