New analysis of employment tribunal data by Citizens Advice reveals that if the backlog of claims continues to increase at the current rate, outstanding claims could pass 500,000 by spring. Even this could be a conservative estimate, the charity is warning, as it does not include a potential rise in employment tribunal cases following the wave of redundancies expected as the furlough scheme draws to an end. The charity’s analysis shows the backlog for individual cases has already passed the post-2008 financial crisis record, with 37,000 workers in the queue. Latest figures show the average wait time for single claims related to discrimination and unfair dismissal is 38 weeks, meaning someone putting in a claim this month may not see their case heard until July 2021. Some cases will be subject to even longer waits.
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