Employment Law Update (August 2009)
ACAS reports big increase in claims
ACAS, the advisory, conciliation and arbitration service, has
published its annual statistics for the year up to 31st
March 2009. Headline figures show increases of 27% in Unfair
Dismissal claims; 37% in claims for breach of contract; and 58% in
disputes about redundancy pay. ACAS deals initially with claims
that are made to employment tribunals, with a view to negotiating
settlements without the need for a full tribunal hearing.
The increased numbers are likely to a large extent to reflect
the recession. This will have the double impact of greater
numbers of people being dismissed or made redundant and those
individuals being more likely to bring claims because of the
difficulties of finding new work.
The increase in claims also highlights the difficulties faced by
employers in getting matters such as redundancy dismissals right.
For many employers, this might be the first time they have had to
consider reducing headcount.
At Mentor, we're here to help employers avoid claims and to
support them if they get a claim after following our advice.
- Always call our Telephone Advice Service first – we can
help you avoid costly mistakes;
- If you are contemplating a significant restructuring or
redundancy exercise, consider asking our consultants to support
you.