Employment claims drop

Employment tribunal claims, which nosedived by nearly 80% after the government introduced tribunal fees last year, have not picked up.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures for January to March 2014 show 5,619 single claims (those made by a sole employee) were lodged, compared with 13,491 in the same period in 2013.

Unison is pursuing judicial review proceedings against the MoJ on the basis the fees make it excessively difficult to enforce employment rights and therefore breach the EU principle of effectiveness. Its case failed at first instance because the judge felt it was too early to assess the impact.

Geoffrey Mead, partner at Eversheds, says: “It is clear the fees regime is having a significant impact on the level of claims.” He predicted that, if the government were to introduce changes, they would “most likely” be a fee reduction rather than wholesale repeal.