The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show a big increase in the volume of employment tribunal claims. The number of single claims issued in the period October-December 2017 increased by 90% from the same period 12 months earlier. Further the backlog of single claims has increased by 66 %. This is the biggest increase since employment tribunal fees were abolished in the summer of 2017, although as yet the number of claims issued each month remains well below pre-fee levels.

The huge increase in claims will come as no surprise to those of us who regularly deal with the employment tribunal. The backlog of claims means that cases are being listed for hearing many months into the future, and the tribunals are clearly struggling to cope with the increased demand. Employers and employees, not to mention those that advise them, will be hoping that the tribunals are granted increased resources to cope with this surge in claims.

Claims to employment tribunals have soared by 90% since the abolition of fees, latest official figures show. The government’s latest quarterly statistics, for October to December 2017, show 8,173 single claims were brought, up from 4,200 in the same period in 2016.

Claims were 16% up on the previous quarter and are at the highest level since 2013, when employment fees were introduced. The backlog of single claims has increased by 66%.

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/employment-tribunal-claims-soar-by-90/5065172.article