Disputes 'should be settled by talks, not courts'

Despite the growing use of legal challenges in industrial relations, disputes are still best resolved through conversation rather than litigation, experts at the CIPD’s annual employment law conference warned.“The courts are not good places to settle disputes,” Jonathan Donovan, deputy director, employee relations and advice at HMRC, told the conference in London. He pointed to the recent court action by the Public and Commercial Services Union in its dispute with the government over changes to civil service redundancy compensation arrangements.