Final offers (and potatoes)
If you’re trying to settle your ET case, your former employer (or their lawyers) may say something like ‘This is our final offer.’
This may be true. Just possibly. But don’t take it at face value. More often than not, it’s just a negotiating tactic. Even if they say ‘This is absolutely and definitely our final offer, Hell will freeze over before we pay you a penny more,’ it may well still be worth seeing if you can squeeze them up a bit.
(If you’ve ever dug potatoes, you’ll know that a similar rule applies: when you think you’ve finished a root, there are in fact always two more. Just try not to spear them on the garden fork.)
So this is OT but what the dickens do you call judges in the EAT? Is it Sir? Your excellency? Or just Oi you? I’m going soon on my appeal and I’d like to know what to do before I get there. I messed this particular bit up when I was in the county court.
‘Madam.’ Or if it’s a man, ‘Sir.’
I love the analogy of using digging potatoes for settling ET claims. We agree with you and that everyone has negotiating tactics and that if you just dig a little harder you can uncover something.