Rise in employment tribunal awards revealed

The amount of money secured by employees in employment tribunals has increased, it has been revealed.

According to figures obtained by the Sunday Telegraph under the Freedom of Information Act, there was a rise in the compensation claimed by workers of £7 million last year compared to 2004-05.

In total, £32 million was awarded to employees in tribunals last year, people with legal jobs may wish to note.

Meanwhile, cases brought under new equal pay laws rose from 17,628 to 44,013 last year.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for the Confederation of British Industry said: "These figures confirm that the tribunal system continues to strain under the weight of a very high volume of claims, many of which are weak or vexatious."

Recently, minister for employment relations Pat McFadden announced that changes in the employment dispute system, which are due to come into force next year, could save firms a combined total of more than £175 million a year.

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