Public sector faces high level of employment claims

Some 37% of employment appeal cases are against public sector organisations, despite such bodies employing only 22% of the workforce, research by Milton Keynes firm EMW Picton Howell has shown.

The firm's analysis of national statistics and information from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) showed that while the private sector employs three-quarters of the workforce, it is involved in only 56% of employment cases.

The not-for-profit sector faces a disproportionate number of employment claims, according to the research, accounting for 7% of all EAT cases but making up only 3% of overall employment.

Jon Taylor, head of employment at EMW Picton Howell, said the high level of employment claims in the public sector was a result of union membership.

He said: 'Unions play a very important role in the public sector employment landscape. Strong representation and financial support from the unions to help employees bring their case to court is the reason why the public sector is involved in such a high proportion of employment claims.'

Taylor said the balance was likely to be redressed as the waves of redundancies that have taken place in the private sector because of the recession begin to feed through to the EAT this year. He noted that Picton Howell has already seen a fourfold increase in its own litigation work.

Taylor said that so far the public sector had been relatively insulated from the recession, but government spending cuts following the election could spark grievance claims by employees.