Employment tribunal claims have almost doubled year-on-year since the abolishment of fees, official figures have shown.
The data, published by the Ministry of Justice, shows that some 8,173 claims were lodged with the courts in the three months to December 2017, a 90 per cent rise compared to the same quarter a year previous.
The backlog of existing cases also increased during the same period, up 66 per cent.
The data also shows that multiple employment tribunal claims received rose by 467 per cent. However, this was due to a large caseload of holiday pay cases presented in 2017.
During October to December, just under a quarter (22 per cent) were for unlawful deduction of wages, while 13 per cent were for equal pay and a further 7.5 per cent for breach of contract. Around three per cent were sex discrimination claims.
The figures come shortly after the abolishment of employment tribunal fees, which the Supreme Court ruled were discriminatory in July.
Since then, the Government has had to repay up to £32 million to claimants. The fees were initially introduced in 2013 to cut the number of “malicious and weak cases”.
Experts have commented that the backlog in claims has significantly increased the time it takes for cases to be disposed of, while others have reported a rise in “frivolous” claims – creating more work for employers and putting an even larger emphasis on appropriate policies and procedures.
MFG Solicitors can advise on employment rights and help employers carry out their legal duties. For more information about how we could help you, please contact us.
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