James Townsend quoted in several major news outlets on the Employment Rights Bill 2025

James’ comments below have been reproduced with kind permission:

The Global Recruiter: 

Employment Rights Bill Passes | The Global Recruiter

James Townsend, Employment Partner at leading law firm Payne Hicks Beach believes the Bill still falls short of delivering a balanced pro-growth framework businesses need to prosper for the benefit of working people: “At a time where employers are already facing ever increasing numbers of claims, rather than re-balancing the existing framework by placing further burdens on business, the government would have been better focussed on modernising dispute resolution practices to cut current delays in cases being heard and re-introducing industrial juries, which were previously abolished in favour of Judges sitting alone in the majority of cases,” he said. “Making a sensible reversal of earlier government policy on industrial juries would have brought back workplace reality and common sense to the Employment Tribunal system.”

Personnel Today: 

Employment Rights Act: experts have their say – Personnel Today

“The government would have been better focused on modernising dispute resolution practices to cut current delays in cases being heard and re-introducing industrial juries, which were previously abolished in favour of judges sitting alone in the majority of cases. Making a sensible reversal of earlier government policy on industrial juries would have brought back workplace reality and common sense to the employment tribunal system.”

Edward Fennel’s Legal Diary: 

Diary news plus insights, commentary and appointments from the legal world – The Legal Diary

“The end of the deadlock in relation to the Employment Rights Bill brings some clarity as to what to expect, but the bill falls short of delivering a balanced pro-growth framework businesses need to prosper for the benefit of working people.

“At a time where employers are already facing every increasing numbers of claims, rather than re-balancing the existing framework by placing further burdens on business, the government would have been better focussed on modernising dispute resolution practices to cut current delays in cases being heard and re-introducing industrial juries, which were previously abolished in favour of Judges sitting alone in the majority of cases.  Making a sensible reversal of earlier government policy on industrial juries would have brought back workplace reality and common sense to the Employment Tribunal system.”