Liam Kenealy
June 19, 2019
The Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) have published figures for the period January to March 2019 which show that 9,505 single claims were issued during this period, an increase of 6% on the same period in 2018. In addition, the length of time it is taking the Employment Tribunals to deal with claims increased by 6 weeks when compared to January to March 2018; and the number of outstanding cases rose by 39%.
The increase in the number of claims continues the trend that started when fees in the Employment Tribunal were abolished in June 2017. The introduction of fees led to a reduction in the number of Employment Tribunal Judges which has caused the backlog of cases currently being experienced, particularly in the London Tribunals.
Of the 11,000 claims that the Employment Tribunals disposed of in the first quarter of 2019, over a quarter of claims were resolved through the assistance of ACAS, with 22% of claims being withdrawn (many of which will have been following a settlement payment), and 11% of these claims resulting in a successful outcome at hearing.
With claims continuing to increase, it is more important than ever that employers are compliant and handling employment issues correctly to try and avoid issues resulting in a claim being made against them.