New Year – New Tribunal Claim?
By Gail Escolme, 06 January 2011 –
2011 looks like being a rocky year for employers and employees alike. Employers will be looking to make cuts wherever possible and often they knee jerk regarding staff performance and behaviour and use this as the excuse to terminate employment, when perhaps in the good times they would have been more lenient. This in turn will lead to more employees bringing claims against the employer in the tribunal as they feel hard done to and have nothing to lose as there is no financial liability for them bringing a claim, even if they withdraw it part way through the proceedings.
In fact the number of tribunals has trebled in the last 5 years, according to business chiefs who believe this is for the very reason that employees who have spurious claims bring them in any event as they do not have to pay anything to do so. Whilst it is understandable for employers to seek to cut costs – including for legal advice – I would urge you all to take advice before terminating employment – it may only cost you the price of a phone call which in the long run would be very cheap indeed. Happy New Year!