45.Under Article 85(2) of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (the Fair Employment and Treatment Order), the Fair Employment Tribunal may take on the powers and functions of an industrial tribunal in relation to certain jurisdictions. These jurisdictions relate to unlawful discrimination, unlawful harassment and unfair dismissal, as specified in Article 85(1).
46.However, there are certain cases which involve fair employment together with an industrial tribunal jurisdiction – such as unlawful deductions from wages or holiday pay – which, if they are not associated with jurisdictions already covered by Article 85(1), may not be heard by the Fair Employment Tribunal in this way. As a result, in cases involving fair employment and these industrial tribunal jurisdictions, issues arising from essentially the same set of facts must be the subject of separate industrial tribunal and Fair Employment Tribunal proceedings. Additional time, effort and money is expended on two tribunal processes where one should suffice.
47.Section 11 amends Article 85 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order so that, where the President or Vice-President of Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal so directs, the Fair Employment Tribunal will be capable of assuming the powers and functions of an industrial tribunal to deal with all aspects of the case which would normally fall to be heard by an industrial tribunal.