LEADER

摘要

Disciplinary hearings are stressful, but for people in regulated professions - such as doctors and nurses - they can have profound career implications, particularly if misconduct is reported to the regulatory body. Under the Acas code1, employees have a right to be accompanied at a hearing by a colleague or union official. But unless there is a provision in the employment contract, there is no automatic right to legal representation. Workers may have a right to representation under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights-the right to a fair trial - but recent court decisions are narrowing the circumstances in which this applies.