A 56% increase in the number of accepted tribunal claims was partly caused by the recession, according to Tribunals Service statistics.
The figures, which cover 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, show that 236,100 claims were accepted by tribunals in 2009/10, compared with 151,028 in 2008/09. The total number of jurisdictional claims brought in 2009/10 was 392,800, compared with 266,542 in 2008/09. Just under a quarter (95,200) of these were Working Time Directive cases (largely multiple airline industry cases that were submitted every three months), which is now the most common complaint (up 296% from 2008/09).
The next-highest jurisdictional claims are unauthorised deductions from wages at 75,500 (up 123%), unfair dismissal at 57,400 (up 9%), and breach of contract at 42,400 (up 29%). The Tribunals Service's report states that these increases are likely to be due to the recession. The number of equal pay claims fell to 37,400 (down 18%).
The number of claims for age discrimination (up 36%), sexual orientation (up 18%) and religion or belief (up 20%) continue to grow steadily.
The average awards included:
- £9,120 for unfair dismissal;
- £18,584 for race discrimination;
- £19,499 for sex discrimination;
- £52,087 for disability discrimination;
- £4,886 for religious discrimination;
- £20,384 for sexual orientation discrimination; and
- £10,931 for age discrimination.
The average award of costs in employment tribunal cases was £2,288.
Also
Defending tribunal claims: before the hearing; hearing and outcome; frequently asked questions; and defending tribunal claims checklist Clyde & Co provides a series of articles on defending employment tribunal claims.
Termination of employment: tribunal procedures The XpertHR frequently asked questions section provides answers to common queries that arise for employers going to an employment tribunal including:
How to deal with employment disputes The XpertHR how to service provides step-by-step guidance on how employers should approach employment disputes.
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