Wrongful dismissal cases go up

Published on 22 Jul 2010 under category: legal

Claims related to wrongful dismissal and other work grievances shot up last year, according to new statistics.

The Tribunal Service has revealed that the number of cases going to court increased by 50 per cent, with around 236,000 claims processed in 2009/10.

Wrongful dismissal, breach of contract and redundancy terms disputes went up by 17 per cent on 2008 and 2009.

There were 126,300 new cases of contract issues, while 75,000 applications were lodged for unauthorised wage cutting.

Approximately 95,000 cases were raised around working time regulations, possibly because staff were forced to work longer hours because of redundancies.

Budget cuts, staff shortages and streamlining in the workplace have been blamed for the steep increase.

In addition, the number of multiple cases rose by nearly 90 per cent on the previous year's figures.

The Tribunal Service was only able to resolve just under two-thirds (65 per cent) of these cases within their target time of 26 weeks, because of the increased workload, according to the organisation.

Increases in the number of cases could indicate that former staff are more willing to go to court, especially in light of fears about job security.

This could mean that employers need to clarify their terms and conditions when it comes to redundancy in order to avoid entering into lengthy and expensive disputes.

If you require advice on Employment Disputes please call us on +44 (0)20 7831 0101 and ask for David Buckle.