MOJ announces fall in number of employment tribunal claims

Recent figures released by the Ministry of Justice show a significant fall in the number of employment tribunal claims made last year.

A report by the 2011/12 Tribunals Service into annual tribunals statistics showed a total 186,300 tribunal claims had been made between April 2011 and March 2012, representing 15% decrease compared with the previous year.

These figures represent a stark contradiction to recent suggestions that the tribunal claims service and employers were being overburdened by increasing numbers of employment tribunal claims.

The report highlights a fall of 2% in single claims and 19% in multiple claims. The 2% decrease in singe claims is in keeping with previous years, which for the most part has remained steady despite suggestions to the contrary.

Despite the overall fall in claims, the report does highlight a number of areas where there has been an increase in the number of claims made, in particular an employer’s failure to inform and consult on a TUPE situation. This could reflect the increase in the number of acquisitions taking place in light of difficult trading conditions and the potential problems employers face in dealing with implications of an acquisition on employment practices.

The most common areas of claim can be seen below:

Reason for claim
Number of claims
Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC) (previously the Working Time Directive (93/104/EC)
£94,700
Unauthorised deduction of wages
£51,200
Unfair Dismissal
£46,300
Breach of contract
£32,100
Equal pay
£28,800

David Dixey is Holmes & Hills Solicitors' specialist Employment Lawyer, advising employers and employees across Essex and Suffolk.