Unfair dismissal claims soar as recession bites

The number of unfair dismissal claims filed at Employment Tribunals climbed 29 per cent to reach 52,711 in the 12 months to the end of March 2009, according to the Tribunal service.

Additional data obtained by Eversheds shows that the rise in the number of unfair dismissal claims began in earnest in June 2008.

Martin Warren, Eversheds head of employment, said: “The increase in unfair dismissal claims is undoubtedly a consequence of the economic downturn.

“As well as complaints by employees about being made redundant, many of these extra claims will stem from employers facing up to the need to tackle underperforming members of staff.”

The statistics also show a dramatic rise in complaints about employers failing to consult properly about proposed redundancies. There were 11,371 such claims in the 12 months to March 30, up 153 per cent on the previous year’s 4,480 claims.

Age discrimination claims also rose to 3,801 from 2,949 the year before.

Mr Warren said: “laws protecting against age discrimination in the workplace have been around for just three years.

“As employees are becoming increasingly aware of their rights in this area it is not surprising that we should see a rise in the number of claims."

By Michael Herman - Law Central - The Times

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