Employment
Tribunals
What is an Employment Tribunal?
The Employment Tribunals are the judicial body with responsibility for workplace justice, being the main forum for deciding disputes between workers and employers. They are part of the wider judicial system, and one of the three largest tribunals in the greater tribunal system.
The cases for which the Employment Tribunals are best known include unfair dismissal and redundancy claims, claims about unpaid wages or unpaid holiday pay, claims of unlawful discrimination, and claims of detrimental treatment following protected disclosures (often called “whistleblowing”). Most of their caseload consists of claims for compensation or other remedies made by workers against employers.
For almost all claims, there must have been an attempt at conciliation through ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) before commencing Employment Tribunal proceedings.
Claims are brought using a claim form called an ET1, and employers can defend those claims using response form called an ET3. There are strict time limits.
We offer a wide range of support and services at all stages of the Employment Tribunal process.
From the moment you suspect a claim might be brewing, to a claim being lodged at the Employment Tribunal right through to conclusion of the case and beyond, we can help.
This guide will help you understand where we can help, and what is likely to change given the proposed Day 1 Rights that are due to come into force in 2026.
Employment Tribunal claims: the stats** (April 2024 – March 2025)
Single claims
- In the 2024/25 period, the Employment Tribunal saw a total of 42,000 individual claims, marking a 23% rise compared to the previous year.
- As of the end of March 2025, there were 45,000 active single claims, up from 33,000 at the same point in the previous year.
Multiple claims
- During 2024/25, the Employment Tribunal registered 2,400 lead multiple cases (a 23% increase on the previous year) resulting in 73,000 associated multiple claims.
- In the same period, 2,100 lead cases (equating to 37,000 multiple claims) were resolved, marking a 49% decline in disposed multiple claims compared to 2023/24.
- As of the end of March 2025, there were 6,800 active lead multiple cases, with an open caseload totalling 446,000 – an 8.78% rise from the 410,000 reported at the same time last year.
Types of claims
- Over the past year, four key jurisdictions accounted for approximately 60% of all claims submitted to Employment Tribunals: unfair dismissal (22%), breach of contract (14%), disability discrimination (13%), and unlawful wage deductions (12%).
- Disability discrimination claims rose by nearly 28% compared to the previous quarter. More broadly, discrimination-related claims now represent close to one-third of total tribunal activity, reflecting an increase of more than 15% quarter-on-quarter.
Defending Employment Tribunal claims can be costly, time consuming and disruptive for your organisation.
Our key recommendation is to seek our support and legal advice as early as possible. That might be, for example, at the point you are dealing with an employee dispute internally and there is a risk that the employee may take it further, or whether you find that a claim has been lodged against your organisation in the Employment Tribunal.
Seeking our support at an early stage will help you be better prepared for the Employment Tribunal process. It will limit the impact on your organisation and give the best change of a positive outcome.