Employment Tribunal Annual Report

[Thanks to Claire Birkinshaw of Abbey Legal Protection Ltd for telling me the annual report had been published.]

The 2002/03 Employment Tribunal Service Annual Report has been published.

Key statistics are:

• a 12% drop in the number of tribunal applications (just under 99,000, down from just over 112,000);
• but only a 3% reduction in the number of single applications registered (a truer representation of the workload);
• the largest number of claims are unfair dismissal (26%), followed by unlawful deduction from wages (23% - still quaintly called 'Wages Act' applications in the report, seven years after the Wages Act was repealed!). Breach of contract comes in with a surprisingly high 17% of applications, and discrimination claims account for 12% of tribunal applications.
• a reduction in the number of registered appeals to the EAT (1,170, compared with 1,432 the previous year). Of the 756 full hearings that took place, the appeal was allowed in 349 (46%) of them;
• 74% of cases were heard within six months of the application being lodged (obviously I seem to be involved in the other 26%!). The London tribunals seem to be the worst offenders (Stratford only managed 59%) and Bristol had the best record (91%);
• male staff represent 35% of all staff employed (excluding judicial posts), but 48% of management level staff. Hmmmm....
• 39% of all cases settled through ACAS, 31% were withdrawn, 13% were successful at tribunal, 11% were unsuccessful at tribunal, and 6% were 'disposed of otherwise'.
• 16 orders of reinstatement or reengagement were made. This is 0.2% of cases which had full hearings in the tribunal;
• costs orders were made in favour of the Applicant in 307 cases, and in favour of the Respondent in 691 cases.

ETS Annual Report 2003