Bad bosses were given a rubber stamp to do their worst yesterday as top judges backed the coalition's decision to impose "punitive" fees on wronged workers who dare to seek justice in court.

General union Unison, which brought the case, vowed to press on after it failed to persuade two judges at the High Court in London to quash what it argued was an "unlawful" Con-Dem order imposing a price on workplace justice for the first time.

Announcing their decision to dismiss Unison's judicial review application, Lord Justice Moses and Mr Justice Irwin said the "fundamental flaw in these proceedings is that they are premature and that the evidence at this stage lacks that robustness necessary to overturn the regime."