Trade Union Congress (TUC) have released an analysis of government figures which has seen a significant drop in the number of claims which have been brought to an Employment Tribunal in 2015/16.

Overall, 83,031 claims were made in 2015/16, down from 191,541 employment tribunal claims made in 2012/13. The biggest drop has been seen in claims for unfair dismissal from 49,036 to 12,652. Claims of sex discrimination have also seen a sharp decrease from 18,814 to just 5,371 last year. Race discrimination and disability discrimination claims have also fallen.

Discrimination in the workplace can come in the form of race, gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, or age, and has been grounds for claims since the late 20th-early 21st century.

In 2015/16, more than 90,000 disputes were taken to ACAS and of these, 65% were not settled by Early ACAS Conciliation or taken to an Employment Tribunal. There have been suggestions that the everyday worker has been put off bringing a claim to an employment tribunal due to the tribunal court fees for issuing the claim and the hearing fee.

There remains a misconception by employers that engaging in an ACAS Early Conciliation shows weakness or that a business is then compelled to enter a settlement one way or another.   This is not the case.

Farleys Solictors LLP are experts in dealing with ACAS Early Conciliation for employers and can provide advice and guidance on it and how it works in practice.

Our team can also represent your business and engage in all the Early Conciliation dialogue with an employee/claimant and ACAS from start to finish.

Most importantly, our HR and employment law team know how to use and manipulate the ACAS Early Conciliation mechanism to a particular client’s advantage.

It is these skills and knowledge that are fundamental to being ahead of the game with an employment dispute.

Farleys Solicitors’ employment law team can provide advice and support on all HR and employment law disputes and matters including Employment Tribunal defences and representation. One funding option for HR and Employment Law support for employers is Farleys HR Advantage.

Farleys HR Advantage is a fixed cost annual service, which can be tailored to meet the individual needs of your business, the level of HR within your business, if at all and your organisation’s budget.

If you would like to receive more information about Farleys HR Advantage, or any other HR and employment law services, please get in touch today.