Employment Tribunal Statistics

In our October 2013 Bulletin, we reported on the published Government statistics for Employment Tribunal (ET) claims for the period of July to September 2013.

The figures showed a marked decline in the number of claims accepted which many be attributed to the introduction of ET fees on 29 July 2013.

As you may recall, the Government’s October report urged caution on interpreting the figures, as many claims were still 'on hold' awaiting payment of the relevant fee (or confirmation of remission).

Disappointingly, the updated figures published on 12 December 2013 do not deliver the level of detail for which we had hoped. For the period of July to September 2013, the number of claims received stood at 39,514 – a 17% decrease on the same period in 2012. There was no breakdown offered for each individual month so that the real impact of fees could be gauged. It is feasible to assume there was a surge in claims in July before the introduction of fees, followed by a decline in the subsequent months and the 17% decrease quoted does not paint the full picture.

Interestingly, there appears to be a large reduction in unfair dismissal claims (42%) and also redundancy claims regarding a failure to inform and consult (36%). The largest increases reported were for equal pay claims (39%) and sex discrimination (35%).

Generally, a decrease in the number of claims being brought can only be good news for employers and we shall wait with interest for the results of the next quarter.