The Ministry of Labour has hit back over reports that the tribunal set up to adjudicate the Employment Act 2000 is not working efficiently due to overworked staff and long delays.

The act aims to promote fair treatment of employers and employees, and in cases where it is believed that it has been violated employees can turn to an inspector for help to resolve the issue. The case may end up before the tribunal for resolution.

Some union representatives had said that the tribunal has dealt with fewer cases than expected since its inception, and that delays of several years have built up because just two people at the department have to deal with more than 500 cases each year.

However, the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry, Robert Horton, said that the ?overwhelming majority? of complaints received by the two inspectors at the Department of Labour and training are successfully resolved.

He explained that the inspectors will seek to conciliate after hearing each complaint and only refer the matter to the tribunal if this has been unsuccessful and there are grounds under the Employment Act.

?That fact, I am pleased to state, explains why there are so few matters that actually require adjudication by the Employment Tribunal,? he said.

The two Employment Inspectors at the department have the more general function of Labour Relations Officers who address a wide range of labour-related issues, and Mr. Horton said that the department is currently being reviewed, with the anticipated outcome being in increase in the number of these workers.

And on the subject of reported delays, he added: ?It is not the case that there are large numbers of cases outstanding for a very long time, although some cases are enormously complex and require a great deal of time and attention before they are resolved.?

Another person keen to extol the virtues of the tribunal process is Jacqueline Horsfield, who won her case of unfair dismissal against former employer Windreach Recreational Village where she was executive director.

She said: ?I had a very positive experience. I tried to resolve the matter internally before turning to the labour department which recognised that there was a case under the Employment Act.

?They worked with me to meet with the people I was reporting to and tried to resolve it, but the other party was not prepared to stand down,? Ms Horsfield explained.

?They then examined the case in greater detail and it went to tribunal. I was granted a hearing which took place within a month and the decision came down within a month.

Ms Horsfield added: ?The whole process itself, although unpleasant and stressful for both sides, came to a resolution within a period of four to five months from the outset.

?It was dealt with professionally, and was a good ?open and closed? process which took us to a resolution so that both parties could move on.?