Aims
The employment tribunal system (prud'hommes) handles some 200,000 cases every year and is faced with several challenges: the time taken to process cases, the conclusion of the conciliation, the use of arbitration and appeals. Thanks to joint training, all the judges, whether employees or employers, receive the same theoretical and practical grounding, covering in particular topics such as general and professional ethics. They therefore acquire the same procedural knowledge and are taught the same techniques and methodologies for the conduct of their duties.
Training
Initial training – 5 days
The initial training course for employment tribunal judges is mandatory. It consist of three days of e-learning and two days of face-to-face workshops in the regions ("classroom training"). The courses mainly cover the fundamentals: judicial organisation, professional ethics, the guiding principles of the trial, the conciliation process, the role of the judge and a methodology for drafting judgments. After that the course addresses the necessary professional techniques: conduct of hearings and a methodology for drafting decisions.