How to apply
To apply for legal assistance for work-related employment situations, you should complete the Members' Pack and return it to your Area Organiser at your local Usdaw office.
Reps can find more information for helping members apply for legal assistance here.
The Advice Card
Your rep will give you an Advice Card if they represent you at a disciplinary and grievance hearing where your problem is not resolved, you remain unhappy with the outcome or where internal proceedings drag on and the tribunal time limits are coming up.
The Advice Card is a simple postcard that tells you about tribunal time limits and how to get a Members’ Pack and apply to Usdaw for help with a tribunal claim.
Process
- You receive the Advice Card from your rep.
- Contact the local Usdaw office for a Member Pack – Employment.
- Usdaw office sends you the pack.
- Complete the pack and send it with key documents to your Area Organiser at the Usdaw local office.
- Area Organiser checks the pack and sends it to the Legal Department.
- Legal Department assesses the case and informs you whether Usdaw can support the case and who will represent you.
- Our aim is to tell members within 20 days of receipt of the Members’ Pack at the local office whether Usdaw will provide representation. Until the Member Pack process has been completed and the Legal Department has confirmed that assistance is granted you have personal responsibility for your case and must ensure that a claim is made to tribunal within the time limits.
- Once assistance is granted the Usdaw case representative will contact you and help you through the case.
- The Legal Plus Members’ Handbook will be sent to you when assistance is granted. This will guide you through the process.