Shortly before the Human Rights Act (HRA) came into force on 2 October, 2000, my firm carried out a survey of about 200 clients. One question was: ‘In how many stated fields do you think the Act will have the most impact?’ No less than 93% said employment.
I thought it unlikely that the incorporation into our domestic law of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) would have any impact. It seemed improbable that the law regulating the workplace, which has developed over the last 30 years, would be found wanting by reference to an instrument that was drawn up more than 50 years ago. And Strasbourg jurisprudence in the employment field has hardly been adventurous.
