There has been an unprecedented increase in the workload of Tribunals and more cases are going to a full hearing, as the complexity of cases has increased.
Friday 13 August, 2010
The Employment Tribunal System National User Group for England & Wales has recently published the Minutes of its December 2009 meeting. There has been an "unprecedented increase" in the workload of Tribunals and more cases are going to a full hearing, as the complexity of cases has increased. The latest statistics find an increase of 56% for the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, with multiple claims increasing by 90%.
The Tribunals Service has recruited more employment judges and encouraged Tribunals to adopt an "aggressive" listing policy. However, delays in arranging hearing dates are still thought to be "inevitable". This has resulted in more cases being postponed at short notice (often the day before) and a proportional increase in irate Tribunal users.