Following on from the removal of employment tribunal fees, it has caused a substantial increase in the number of claims being brought by employees. There has been a noticeable rise in claims regarding disability discrimination compared to any other form of claim.
Analysis of data collected by the Ministry of Justice conducted by Fox & Partners, the number of disability claims in 2018 increased by 32% year on year compared to a rise of just 4% for employment tribunal claims in the UK as a whole.
Mental health in particular has been identified as being a new area of friction between employers and their employees. A Partner from Fox & Partners suggested that workers were more willing than ever before to bring cases related to mental health to tribunal with stress and depression taking an increasing toll on their working lives.
Perhaps the reason behind the increase in disability related claims could be due to the increased attention the subject of mental health has been given. This generation appears to be able to speak about mental health related concerns more openly than past generations. There is a definite shift in perception and level of understanding towards sufferers of mental health issues. I wonder if this has enabled other forms of disabilities to be encouraged to speak out and to seek justice.
The number of disability related claims was 99% higher than 5 years previously, while the overall number of tribunal claims reached 178,990 in 2018. In the 12 months immediately following the removal of fees, claims went up by 130% according to official figures.