Has the introduction of tribunal fees made any difference to the amount of claims lodged?
The tribunal service published a report on the amount and type of claims that are sent to the tribunal, disposed of and outstanding claims in October to December 2013. Click here for full statistics.
These statistics reveal a 79% drop in cases however this is hardly surprising in light of the fact that tribunal fees were introduced from July 2013 which meant that many employees submitted claims early to avoid the fee.
On a positive note for employers, this drop may reflect the fact that employees are put of lodging claims as a result of the requirement to pay a fee to lodge a claim. The fee is generally £250.
UNISON brought judicial review proceedings stating the fees were discriminatory, they sought to rely on September 2013 statistics but the court said that these statistics did not show enough evidence of the impact of the fees. The latest statistics could fuel further review.
The statistics also show a 19% increase in those cases disposed of; this may be to do with the fact that an employee now has to pay a hearing fee of usually £950.
Should you have any questions on this topic please contact me at kate.brooks@ellisjones.co.uk.
How can we help?
When you submit this form an email will be sent to the relevant department who will contact you within 48 hours. If you require urgent advice please call 01202 525333.
