The number of single claims made to the Employment Tribunal rose by six per cent last quarter, according to Hudson Contract’s analysis of the latest Ministry of Justice statistics.

The MoJ said the tribunal received 7,600 single claim receipts and disposed of 7,300 single claim cases between October and December 2022. There were 45,000 single claim cases outstanding at the end of December.

The MoJ failed to provide breakdowns for disposals, timeliness and outcomes, blaming the tribunal’s transition to a new database. The last available data showed the mean average age at disposal was 43 weeks between January and March 2021.

Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “Tribunals are a nightmare at the best of times. It is free for people to issue a claim and they can more or less name anybody they like. It is very rare for costs to be awarded – although we have had costs in a number of cases.

“Tribunals are incredibly stressful and expensive for those on the receiving end, never mind the fact that it now takes probably 12 months to get a hearing. It seems the government has stopped reporting, which doesn’t look like good news. If the time it takes to get to tribunal was going down, I’m sure the MoJ would find the time to report it!”

Hudson Contract protects its clients against the financial risks of tribunal through a 100 per cent status guarantee.

If anyone under its contract brings a claim against a client, Hudson steps in and takes over the case and all of its liabilities. The market leader has successfully defended multiple claims without a single instance of employment status reclassification over the last 27 years.

Ian Anfield added: “For all the cost and hassle faced by thousands and thousands of employers, only a relatively small number of claims that get to tribunal are successful. This suggests there’s something wrong with the scheme.

“If a claim does get to tribunal, the complexities of case law mean it can cease to be an argument about common sense or right and wrong. Some cases can appear ridiculous with complainants who have been caught with their hands in the till being found to have been unfairly dismissed.”