Businesses could face 370,000 extra employment tribunals over the next three years, costing about £2.6bn.
Research by law firm Dickinson Dees has found that if employment laws continue to be enacted at the present rate, the number of tribunals will rise by 46% over the next three years, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
James Wilders, an employment partner at Dickinson Dees, said: “Since 1998 there has been an almost inexorable rise in the number of employment tribunals, with an average of 20,000 more new cases each year than in the previous one.”
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He added despite the laws originating from Europe, the “real problems come from the way they have been enacted in the UK, often with additional or ambiguous requirements added.”
On Tuesday, new legislation was enacted covering additional paternity leave, employee training and sick leave.