The number of employment tribunal claims in the engineering and manufacturing sector fell by almost 30% last year, according to a report by the EEF employers’ organisation.
The number of tribunal cases dropped from 1,702 in 2004 to 1,227 in 2005, a fall of 28%.
The EEF said that the decrease could be due to a greater awareness on the part of employers, with better use of dispute resolution and employment tribunal procedures.
Peter Schofield, director of employment and legal affairs, said: “These figures suggest the rising tide of litigation we have seen in the past few years may have started to ease in response to a concerted attempt by employers and government.”
However, the report also showed a significant increase in the number of claims being withdrawn before reaching a hearing stage.
Almost half (47%) of all cases were withdrawn by the claimant before reaching a hearing in 2005, up from 23% in 2004.
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