As the latest quarterly statistics are about to be published by the Ministry of Justice, it is probably safe to say that most are expecting it will reveal a substantial increase in the number of claims being lodged in the Employment Tribunal.
It is now over four months since the Supreme Court abolished Employment Tribunals fees* but the December publication will be the first official report to indicate how much of an impact the decision has had on the actual number of cases that the Employment Tribunal has to hear.
Unofficially, there have been reports from individual Tribunal offices that the number of claims being received has increased by as much 75 to 100%.
If that same level of increase is reflected in the official national statistics it will mean that there is going to be a great deal of strain on the Employment Tribunal system, particularly as there has been been a marked reduction in the number of employment judges over the four years when fees had drastically cut the number of claims.
Going forwards, the increased number of claims and the impact on the Employment Tribunal system is going to have important practical consequences for all those responsible for managing employees in the workplace.
There is clearly an increased risk of claims being made, which will mean that the first priority is to take steps to ensure that the risk is reduced as much as possible.
