Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Financial penaltiesLatest NewsEmployment tribunals

Employment tribunal claims triple

by Jo Faragher 13 Sep 2018
by Jo Faragher 13 Sep 2018

The total number of employment tribunal claims lodged with the Ministry of Justice tripled in the three months between April and June, latest statistics reveal.

Employment tribunals

Recruitment drive for judges to tackle rise in employment cases 

Employment tribunal fees repayment scheme fully launched

According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of receipts for single claims more than doubled when compared with the same quarter in 2017, up to 10,996. Receipts for multiple claims more than quadrupled in the same period, the MoJ reported, thanks to a large multiple airline claim.

There were 42,700 multiple claims received over the quarter, up 344% on the same period in 2017. Over 23,000 claims were received in relation to one employer.

The sustained rise in claims being lodged since the abolition of tribunal fees in July 2017 has inevitably led to increased caseloads for the justice system. For single claims, outstanding caseload rose by 130%, while for multiple claims this was 34%.

Earlier this year, the MoJ announced it was launching a recruitment drive to bring in 54 new employment judges to tackle the rise in cases.

Since the launch of the employment tribunal refund scheme in June this year, there have been 14,500 applications for refunds and 12,400 made. Refunds given so far have a total value of just over £10.6 million, according to the MoJ. The large majority of these went to single claimants.

In terms of awards, disability discrimination claims attracted the highest compensation payouts, with an average award of £30,700. During the 2017/18 period under review, one disability discrimination case attracted an award of £242,000.

The number of claimants representing themselves at tribunal rose over the same period – 17% did not have legal representation, compared with just 9% in 2016/17.

In 2017/18, the Employment Appeal Tribunal received 996 appeals, up 12% compared with 2016/17. Just over a third of appeals dealt with at preliminary hearing were dismissed. More appeals brought by employers (45%) were thrown out compared to those brought by employees (32% of appeals).

Most claims lodged in the three months to the end of June were for equal pay, totalling 7,972 cases and up 33% on the same quarter in 2017. Unfair dismissal accounted for 4,801 claims, up 34%. Unauthorised deduction of wages continues to attract a large number of claims, with 4,273 received in the quarter to the end of June.

Single tribunal claims took a mean period of 28 weeks from receipt to disposal from April to June 2018, unchanged since the same quarter last year. Multiple claims reduced in mean age at disposal, from 318 weeks to 133.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Susie Munro, employment law editor at XpertHR, said: “While the number of individual tribunal claims has not yet returned to the levels we saw before the introduction of the fees regime, there has been a significant increase, as expected – enough to cause capacity problems for the tribunal service.

“The increase in claimants representing themselves may also be explained by the abolition of fees. Previously, many employees who did not have union representation, or other means of funding their cases, are likely to have been deterred from making a claim by the cost of the fees.”

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
UK employees more lenient around ethics but more likely to report misconduct
next post
NHS set to get tough on flu vaccination of frontline staff

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

Union rep teacher awarded £370k for unfair dismissal

15 May 2025

Tribunal finds need for degree in redundancy selection...

14 May 2025

Construction workers win compensation claim against defunct employer

9 May 2025

NHS worker awarded £29k after Darth Vader comparison

8 May 2025

Employment tribunal backlog up 23% in a year

7 May 2025

Lincolnshire doctor awarded £250k in race discrimination case

2 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+