header-logo header-logo

Benefit matters

05 February 2009
Issue: 7355 / Categories: Opinion , Employment
printer mail-detail

How relevant are benefits payments to employment tribunal cases? Michael Salter & Chris Bryden report

The government announced it is determined to move more than one million people off benefits. However, the prevailing economic situation, which has resulted in the demise of such large chains as Woolworths, Adams and Zavvi, as well as the large number of small businesses which go under everyday, may mean that the reversal of reliance on benefits hoped for by the government is unachievable, and is likely in fact to result in an increase in the number of people claiming benefits.

The quantum of benefits received by a claimant in an employment tribunal claim is relevant to the determination of the amount of any award made, as benefits will be taken into account. When dealing with compensation for unfair dismissal, the calculation of the basic award should be relatively uncontroversial and is merely a matter of mathematics. However, more difficulties arise when assessing the compensatory award. Given the likely rise in the number of claims involving dismissal and the lack of prospects for

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Pillsbury—Steven James

Pillsbury—Steven James

Firm boosts London IP capability with high-profile technology sector hire

Clarke Willmott—Michelle Seddon

Clarke Willmott—Michelle Seddon

Private client specialist joins as partner in Taunton office

DWF—Rory White-Andrews

DWF—Rory White-Andrews

Finance and restructuring offering strengthened by partner hire in London

NEWS
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) continues to stir controversy across civil litigation, according to NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School—AKA ‘The insider’
SRA v Goodwin is a rare disciplinary decision where a solicitor found to have acted dishonestly avoided being struck off, says Clare Hughes-Williams of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) imposed a 12-month suspension instead, citing medical evidence and the absence of harm to clients
In their latest Family Law Brief for NLJ, Ellie Hampson-Jones and Carla Ditz of Stewarts review three key family law rulings, including the latest instalment in the long-running saga of Potanin v Potanina
The Asian International Arbitration Centre’s sweeping reforms through its AIAC Suite of Rules 2026, unveiled at Asia ADR Week, are under examination in this week's NLJ by John (Ching Jack) Choi of Gresham Legal
In this week's issue of NLJ, Yasseen Gailani and Alexander Martin of Quinn Emanuel report on the High Court’s decision in Skatteforvaltningen (SKAT) v Solo Capital Partners LLP & Ors [2025], where Denmark’s tax authority failed to recover £1.4bn in disputed dividend tax refunds
back-to-top-scroll