Section 51: Complaints to employment tribunals.

Employment Rights Act 1996 · 1996 c. 18View on legislation.gov.uk

Part VI: Time off work

An employee may present a complaint to an employment tribunal that his employer has failed to permit him to take time off as required by section 50.

An employment tribunal shall not consider a complaint under this section that an employer has failed to permit an employee to take time off unless it is presented—

before the end of the period of three months beginning with the date on which the failure occurred, or
within such further period as the tribunal considers reasonable in a case where it is satisfied that it was not reasonably practicable for the complaint to be presented before the end of that period of three months.

Section 207B (extension of time limits to facilitate conciliation before institution of proceedings) applies for the purposes of subsection (2)(a).

Where an employment tribunal finds a complaint under this section well-founded, the tribunal—

shall make a declaration to that effect, and
may make an award of compensation to be paid by the employer to the employee.

The amount of the compensation shall be such as the tribunal considers just and equitable in all the circumstances having regard to—

the employer's default in failing to permit time off to be taken by the employee, and
any loss sustained by the employee which is attributable to the matters to which the complaint relates.

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Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.