Employment lawyers have given the thumbs-up to a judicial mediation pilot and called for it to be available in tribunals across England and Wales.

Results of a survey carried out by the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) revealed that the majority (78%) of the 123 respondents who took part in the pilot considered the service, that offered voluntary free judicial mediation in complex disability, sex and race discrimination cases, should be made available in all regions.

A minority felt some of the judges were insufficiently interventionist and could benefit from greater training.

The Employment Tribunal Service ran the pilot from August 2006 to March 2007 in the London central, Birmingham and Newcastle regions.

The pilot scheme is being evaluated by the University of Westminster and findings are expected to be published later this year.