politics
The tragedy of the commons, AI edition
British employment law contains a provision called “interim relief”, an emergency measure under which a judge can order a firm to reinstate a fired employee, or at least pay their wages. The subject may be a whistleblower who has complained of safety breaches, or a troublesome trade-union official. Little known outside legal circles, this provision has been sought infrequently—across Britain tribunals used to get about 20 applications a year—and rarely granted.
TL;DR
- British employment law has a measure called "interim relief" for reinstating fired employees.
- This provision was previously sought infrequently, with about 20 applications annually across Britain.
- There has been a surge in applications, with approximately 20 lodged monthly per regional office.
- This represents a more than 100-fold increase in applications.
- Judges suspect artificial intelligence is behind this significant rise.
- The increase in applications is causing delays in other tribunal cases.