News: Performance Management
Equal pay issues top tribunal list
06 August 2008
The number of employment tribunals in the country has risen by almost a quarter in the last year, according to the latest figures.
Equal pay issues overtook unfair dismissal as the most regular reason for claims which were passed to Acas.
The employment relations service responded to the data by looking ahead to changes in the law which are expected to result from the new Employment Bill, due to come into effect in the spring.
"Much of our work over the next 12 months will focus on expanding our services and intervening earlier in individual disputes," explained the organisation's chief executive, John Taylor.
He went on to note that, in spite of the 24.9 per cent rise in tribunals and potential tribunal claims, Acas actually exceeded its performance targets for the year.
Mr Taylor attributed this to improvements made within organisations and individuals' working lives via better employment relations and communication.
Of the discrimination claims dealt with by Acas during the period in question, sex discrimination headed the list with 9,407 cases, followed by disability discrimination claims (5,800) and race claims (4,060).
