Employment tribunals —the key developments

• When deciding whether to allow an amendment to introduce a new claim, the tribunal will look at the likely effect the amendment would have on case preparation, in particular the extra burden, length and cost of the proceedings (case 1).

• The tribunal has a wide discretion to order a stay of proceedings, and its decisions will rarely be interfered with. A stay is likely to be ordered where the police are engaged in an on-going criminal investigation of the underlying facts. However, any stay is likely to be time-limited rather than indefinite (case 2).