Hard-talking boss Sir Alan Sugar blamed for rise in employment tribunal cases

Hard-talking boss Sir Alan Sugar has been blamed for an increase in the number of employment tribunal cases.

Entrepreneur and former chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Sugar's most recent fame is attributed to his BBC television show The Apprentice, where he tells failed contestants: "You're fired".

Scottish law firm Muir Myles Laverty (MML) believes Sugar's blunt approach is being copied in the workplace, leading to an increase in unfair dismissal cases.

John Muir, employment law specialist at Muir Myles Laverty, said: "Since The Apprentice came on TV, we've seen a massive rise in dismissals in which employers or bosses apparently emulate or copy Sir Alan Sugar's methods."

Figures from conciliation service Acas show that there were 86,181 registered employment tribunal claims in 2004-05, and more than 115,000 in 2006-07.

However, its 2006-07 annual report indicated a decline in the number of claims to employment tribunals, with 84,039 cases compared to 109,712 in 2005-06.