The British experience under a statute prohibiting unfair dismissal.

Statutory protection against unfair dismissal was introduced in Britain in 1971. This article examines the origin, nature, and effectiveness of that statute, which is enforced by publicly funded, tripartite tribunals. The authors show that only a minority of dismissed employees enter claims under the statute; only a minority of claimants win any relief; and only a minority of successful claimants win re-employment, most receiving instead relatively small sums of money. The authors offer explanations for that pattern and describe the reaction of British unions and employees to the statute. (Abstract courtesy JSTOR.)