Percentage of employment appeals involving public sector on the rise

The percentage of employment appeals that involve the public sector is growing rapidly, according to research by EMW.

The law firm’s analysis of Employment Appeals Tribunals (EAT) and National Statistics found that 37% of appeals involve the public sector, up from 30% in 2006. However, the public sector only employs 22% of the UK’s workforce.

EMW suggested that there could be further increases in the future, with redundancies, cuts in benefits and the introduction of active performance management likely to heighten animosity between public sector workers and their employers.

Louise Holder, a Principal in the firm’s employment team, said: “The public sector is already burdened by a disproportionately high number of employment claims and the problem could get worse as cost and efficiency savings are put in place.”

“Many of these claims will be from public sector workers who have been made redundant. People are much more likely to bring unfair dismissal claims during tough economic conditions, particularly if they feel that their prospects of getting another job quickly are slim. With more public sector job cuts on the way, this could be the tip of the iceberg.”

Holder added that the public sector was expected to start putting in place efficiency drives with performance targets that were likely to be tougher and monitored more rigorously.

“Some employees who are not used to this could see this as a form of bullying while those who are made redundant could file for unfair dismissal,” she said.