20 Read the article again and decide whether these statements are true or false.

1  Arbitration is intended to be faster and less formal than the traditional process of resolving employment disputes.

2  In the arbitration scheme, parties will not be questioned by the other party's representative.

3  In reaching a decision, an arbitrator is obliged to apply case law and legal tests.

4  Some lawyers fear that arbitration will lead to double standards in the resolution of employment disputes.

5  The confidentiality of arbitration appeals to those who have been dismissed from work, as it causes less embarrassment.

6  Employers regard the fact that it is difficult to appeal a decision made by an arbitrator to be a considerable advantage of the arbitration system.

 

 

21 Match these adjectives from the text (1-5) with their synonyms (a-e).

1  voluntary

2  key

3  vast

4  confidential

5  conventional

 

a   huge

b  traditional

с   private

d   important

e   optional

 

22 Match these verbs (1-6) with their definitions (a-f). The verbs are in italics in the article.

1  to waive                    a to formally request that a decision of an inferior body be

reviewed by a superior one

2  to hear                      b to argue a case in court

3  to plead                    с to give something up

4  to apply                    d to make use of something (when deciding a case)

5  to appeal                  e to question something

6  to challenge             f  to listen to a case at a relatively formal proceeding

 

23 Match the verbs (1-6) with the nouns in the box that they collocate with in the article. Some of the nouns go with more than one verb.

an award      a law      a case      rights

 

1  to hear                                  

2  to waive                                

3  to plead

4 to apply

5 to appeal  

6 to challenge

                           

Can you add any more?

 

24 How does the arbitration procedure described in the text compare with the arbitration system used for handling employment disputes in your jurisdiction?

 

Writing : Advising on advantages and disadvantages in an email

A lawyer has received a request from a client who employs a large number of people and has to deal with employment rights disputes on a regular basis. The client has asked for general information about the arbitration process described in Reading 4 in a short, easy-to-understand memo. He wants to know how it compares with employment tribunals, and what the advantages and disadvantages are of arbitration from the point of view of an employer.

 

25 Read this email, written in response to the above request. Some of the information it contains is incorrect. Find three factual mistakes and correct them.

 

Dear Mr Mason

 

In your email of 9 April, you asked for information concerning the new arbitration procedure. You specifically requested an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of arbitration from the point of view of an employer. The following summary presents a selection of key features of both the new arbitration scheme and the existing employment tribunal process.

 

•     Speed: Unlike hearings held before an employment tribunal, the new procedure can be completed faster, usually in one week. This is clearly advantageous for an employer, as it would save a great deal of time and money.

 

•     Confidentiality: In contrast to the public hearings held by employment tribunals, the new arbitration process is conducted in a private setting, such as a hotel, and is completely confidential. This prevents an employer from getting the unwanted bad publicity that often accompanies public proceedings. A further advantage of confidentiality from the point of view of an employer is the fact that high out-of-court settlements for employees (which are typically reached in order to avoid the embarrassment of public proceedings) are thus much less likely.

 

•     Appeals: Both the decisions of an employment tribunal and those reached in arbitration can be appealed. Naturally, this can be regarded as a significant advantage for an employer.

 

On balance, I would say that the new arbitration scheme is attractive from the point of view of an employer, and I recommend that you consider making use of this new process to deal with all kinds of employment disputes.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like further information. I have attached an article about this topic to this email which may be of interest to you.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Elisabeth Stephens

 

 

25 When comparing complex ideas in a clear and simple way, it is advisable to decide on an overall organising principle. Generally speaking, two approaches to organising ideas are available to the writer:

A Listing and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of one system and

then the other;

В Choosing key points - such as confidentiality - and discussing each system

in respect of these criteria.

 

1  Which method of organising a comparison is used in the email you have just read?

2  Which sentence in the email announces the organising principle to the reader at the beginning of the text?

3  Underline the phrases in the email which are used to compare and contrast.

4  Which phrases are used to point out advantages?