SCOTTISH businesses are facing a wave of compensation claims following a sharp rise in employment tribunal applications during the Covid-19 pandemic.
New figures show that 806 single tribunal claims were lodged in Scotland between April and June – up 21% on the same period last year to the highest level in almost a decade.
The surge – reported in new data from the Ministry of Justice – gathered pace during lockdown, suggesting that the economic impact of coronavirus had a direct impact on the number of claims being made.
Employment law specialists Aberdein Considine are warning that the situation could get worse unless businesses get to grips with what it says is an “increasingly complex employment landscape”.
Sally-Anne Anderson, a partner at Aberdein Considine, said: “Although the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been extended, it is a sad fact that many more job losses could still be in the pipeline when it does come to end.
“It’s been an incredibly difficult time for the majority of businesses in Scotland, but we are seeing a trend of employers who are not following correct redundancy procedures and this is only likely to result in more unfair dismissal claims.”
Anderson said the tribunal claims are likely to rise.
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