Tribunals against employers soar

Employers in England, Scotland and Wales faced a soaring number of tribunal claims last year, new figures have shown.

Some 236,100 employment tribunal cases were brought against firms in the 12 months to the end of March 2010, compared with 151,000 claims over the same period of the previous year, the Tribunals Service revealed.

The figures have shown that the number of unfair dismissal cases brought by employees also rose to 57,400, compared with 52,700 in the previous 12-month period, and 40,941 in the 12 months to the end of March 2008.

Action over alleged age discrimination jumped, with 5,200 claims compared with only 3,800 in the previous 12-month period.

However, claims brought over inappropriate consultation around mass redundancies fell significantly, from 11,400 in the 12 months to the end of March 2009 to 7,500 up to March 2010.

If you would like advice on employment issues, you can contact a member of the IBB's Employment team, call us on 08456 381 381 or email enquiries@ibblaw.co.uk.