Employment disputes take an impact from coronavirus.

Data released by the Ministry of Justice show a decline in tribunal claims made against employers before the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK and the first 3 months of lockdown 1. Between January and March 2020, there were over 22 thousand tribunal claims made against employers in England and Wales compared to Q1 of 2020 where this figure had decreased to over 18,600.

The first national lockdown meant that everyone had to stay at home unless you were considered an essential worker. Food shop workers, NHS workers and those working in construction and manufacturing were the only people permitted to go to work, while everyone else was advised to work from home if they could.

The data from the report also shows a shift in reasons for claims going to tribunal, where 6 claims were highlighted as showing a considerable swing. In quarter 4, ‘hours worked’ was the most common employment claim brought to court. However, this had been swiftly taken over by ‘unfair dismissal’ in quarter 1, during the first three months of the national lockdown.

The Office of National Statistics provides data that unemployment rose 0.3% from Q4 to the end of Q1 during the first national lockdown. This can suggest that redundancies made because of the impact of the pandemic contributed to the increase of employees claiming unfair dismissal, which all depends on how employers handled terminating employee contracts. Additionally, the data from the Ministry of Justice show an increase of over 4% in claims for breach of contract and almost 2% in claims on redundancy pay. These are likely relating to the rise in unemployment and changes to the working environment. Where businesses were forced to close or reduce staffing level to comply with Covid-19 guidance, many employers changed their terms of employment overnight.

Moving forward to the end of last year, the submissions for employment tribunals doubled, creating a backlog of 51,000 outstanding employment claims, +45% in comparison to pre-covid.

Our professional opinion

“It is unsurprising that unfair dismissal claims became the leading reason for employment claims during the first lockdown as employees experienced a huge change in their working environment. Almost every worker experienced a much more positive shift in their work-life balance as they were able to work from home, dramatically reducing claims for hours worked.

“I have assisted multiple clients with unfair dismissal claims within the past 12 months, assisting clients with their settlements from their former employer to leave them satisfied with their payout. I have further assisted a client at mediation after their dismissal claim was escalated by the employer, cancelling fines of over £10,000.”

Have you got a dispute with your boss?

Get in touch with us today. Getting advice can help you understand your rights and what to do if your employment terms are breached, even if you think your claim isn’t valid, it’s always best to check. Find out more about our employment law services here or call 023 8023 4433 to get started.

Disclaimer: Information on this webpage is not intended for legal purposes or advice. If you require legal advice or services you should seek a professional legal practitioner.