The outstanding caseload of employment tribunals has more than doubled over the past 12 months, according to official statistics, following the huge increase in cases in the year since the abolition of tribunal fees. The Ministry of Justice reported that the number of outstanding single cases was 130 per cent higher in the second quarter of 2018 than the same period in 2017, putting the system under considerable strain.
The increase also has implications for businesses too, as tribunal resources are unable to keep up with the increase. Claims are taking longer to work through and employers are having to devote more administrative resources to deal with them, over a longer period.
Earlier in 2018 the Judicial Appointments Commission launched a recruitment exercise to find 54 salaried employment judges in an effort to meet the demand but this is thought unlikely to have a significant impact on the backlog in the short term. Additional sitting days have also been allocated to cope with an increased number of claims.
