Three-quarters of workers who won tribunal cases against their employer have not received a single penny of their award, an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) has found.
According to figures obtained by TBIJ through freedom of information requests, more than 7,000 workers sought help from the government’s employment tribunal penalty enforcement and naming scheme since it was established in 2016, but three-quarters never got their money. They asked for help to recover awards and legally binding settlements totalling more than £46m. Nearly £36m has gone unpaid.
TBIJ also discovered that the government issued more than 4,800 penalties worth £9.6m to companies that have ignored employment tribunal judgments. Only 109 of these fines have been paid, for a value of £95,000.
TBIJ's investigation was conducted with the BBC. The findings are published amid reports that Labour is considering reintroducing employment tribunal fees – a move that unions have said would be a ‘gift for bad bosses’.
Labour's Employment Rights Bill is currently making its way through parliament. During the party's conference in Liverpool this week, ministers were urged to widen the scope of legal aid to employment. At a Society of Labour Lawyers event attended by courts minister Sarah Sackman, an audience member who runs a law centre said staff were struggling to keep up with demand for employment support. The audience member said laws were futile if people cannot obtain legal advice to enact their rights.
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