Employment Law Update (April 2009)
Employment Tribunal claims up 42%
Figures just released by the Employment Tribunals Service show
an increase in claims to employment tribunals of 42%, up from
132,577 claims in 2006 / 2007 to 189,303 claims in 2007 / 2008.
However, because of a delay producing the statistics – which relate
to the year ended March 2008 – the figures will not take into
account many claims resulting from the recession.
What do the figures tell us?
Claims are getting more complex, with over 62,000 claims brought
under Equal Pay laws and over 55,000 brought under the Working Time
Directive. Additionally, in the first full year of the
operation of the new Age Discrimination laws – introduced in
October 2006 – 2,949 claims were made, although this is still only
around a tenth of the number of claims brought for Sex
Discrimination.
…and what they don't tell us
The production of the statistics was delayed this year owing to
changes in the structure of the Tribunals Service, and because they
are now a year out of date, they will not show claims resulting
from the recession. Examples of such claims are for:
- failure to consult in redundancy situations;
- unfair selection for redundancy; and
- unlawful deduction from wages (perhaps in respect of reduced
hours or overtime).
However, the statistics do serve as a reminder of the complexity
of employment law through the number of types of claim made and the
potential benefits of access to case-by-case advice through your
Mentor service, which can be supported by our no-additional-cost
indemnity.