Tribunals going under with equal pay claims

Report that employment tribunal service undermanned to cope with sharp rise in cases

News, 3 January 2007

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There are not enough people working in the employment tribunal service to handle the vast number of equal pay cases currently in the system, according to today's Scotsman.

It is reported that over 25% of applicants in Glasgow in 2006 had to wait more than six months for a first hearing after lodging their claim, and that delays are likely to get worse due to the thousands of new cases have been brought in recent months from employees suing local authorities and the NHS over equal pay claims.

Most local authorities in Scotland are in dispute with unions as councils attempt to settle the long running dispute over equal pay for female staff by regrading workers and bringing in new pay and conditions.

The number of sex discrimination cases brought last year rose by one-fifth, including 8,900 new local government cases and 8,200 NHS claims, but only six extra staff have been taken on.

A spokesperson for the Employment Tribunal Service said they had a dedicated team and she was confident they could deal with the amount of work.

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