Pictured above: Joanne White
Employers risk losing thousands of pounds through employment
tribunals as pay-outs - particularly in sex discrimination cases -
continue to rise, Shropshire solicitors warned today.
Shrewsbury-based solicitors, Linder Myers, said employers needed
to be aware that discrimination claims could run into hundreds of
thousands of pounds - because there is no maximum amount that
tribunals can award.
Tribunals Service statistics show a 56 per cent rise in claims
to employment tribunals between 2008/9 and 2009/10.
Figures show a shift in the types of claims most likely to
receive compensation, and the amount of cash awarded has also
dramatically changed.
The average compensation award for sex discrimination has soared
in recent years. The average award was £19,499 in
2009/10 - a rise of 77 per cent from the previous year - with a
maximum payout of £442,366 compared to £113,106 in
2008/9.
Meanwhile, the average compensation awarded for religious
discrimination in the 2008/9 financial year was £10,616, but
dropped to just £4,886 in the following year - more than a 50
per cent decrease.
Joanne White, of Linder Myers in Shrewsbury, said: "Whilst
employers always need to be aware of the risk of employment
tribunal claims, they need to be more aware of the potential for
discrimination claims.
"This is because unlike unfair dismissal claims, the
compensation for discrimination claims is uncapped, meaning
tribunals can award whatever figure they like."