Q2 Employment Tribunal Statistics Released

Employment Tribunal Claims

The Ministry of Justice has now published the employment tribunal statistics for the period April to June 2018. The number of claims submitted to the tribunals increased by 165% when compared with the period April to June 2017 – before the fees were abolished.

The number of employment tribunal claims dramatically reduced during the four year period July 2013 to July 2017, largely because claimants had to pay substantial fees to bring their claim. HM Courts and Tribunals Service is now having to recruit more employment judges to reduce the backlog in claims and has paid out £10,615,000 in fee refunds.

What does this mean for you? 

It is now free for employees (and former employees) to bring a claim in the employment tribunals and we’re likely to see increased numbers of claims again. If you receive a notification from ACAS or the employment tribunals that someone is bringing a claim against you, we offer a free initial appraisal and can defend the claim on a fixed fee basis. Click here to see an illustration of our fixed fees. 

Employment Tribunal Awards

In 2017/2018, the average award of compensation in unfair dismissal cases was £15,007. The highest award for an unfair dismissal claim was £415,227.

In 2017/2018 the highest awards of compensation for discrimination claims were awarded in disability discrimination claims – which reached an average of £30,700. This is a change on 2016/2017 in which the highest awards went to race discrimination claims – which reached an average of £36,853.

What does this mean for you?

Although there are some significant awards of compensation, these are in exceptional cases. The average awards are less eye watering but could still place a strain on an employer’s finances. You can reduce your risks by following good HR practices, training your managers and getting the right contracts and policies in place to help you manage your staff.

Whether you’re looking for advice on HR and employment law, or training courses to develop your management team and get the most out of your staff, call New Dawn Resources on 01484 680098 or email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help.