Numbers Fall But Cases Are Increasingly Complex

The significant fall in employment tribunals which was announced today by the Government reflects the impact that the introduction of fees has had on claimants’ willingness to bring claims – according to national law firm Irwin Mitchell.

The Ministry of Justice has today published the quarterly employment tribunal statistics for October to December 2013 and compared with the same period in 2012, there has been a 79% drop in the number of applications lodged.   

Commenting on the latest figures, Tom Flanagan, partner and National Head of Employment at Irwin Mitchell, said:

National trade union, Unison, has previously argued that the introduction of tribunal fees is unlawful and claimed that the rate of the fees is prohibitive to most employees earning an average wage. They say tribunal fees impact on an individual’s right to a fair hearing both under UK and European law.

Commenting on the impact on this high profile case, Tom Flanagan, said: