Following the publication of research which showed that 39 per cent of people granted tribunal awards never receive them, the Government recently announced measures to tackle these dire statistics.
By the end of the year, High Court Enforcement Officers will take on recovery of awards granted by employment tribunals or following out-of-court settlements. These measures back up a public information drive which started in April. This includes the publication of new leaflets that claim to make the enforcement process clearer for claimants and a new extended telephone enquiries line for more comprehensive information on how and where people can enforce their award.
The information campaign and helpline (0845 456 8770) is aimed at addressing concerns raised during the research by 43 per cent of respondents who felt the court led enforcement process was either “too much hassle”, “too expensive” or “too time-consuming”.
Other figures in the report “Research into enforcement of employment tribunal awards in England and Wales” showed that:
- 36 per cent of claimants who had not received payment had attempted to enforce the award through the county court
- 40 per cent of unpaid or part paid claimants did not know that the award could be enforced through the county court.
The findings in the research sample showed that in relation to the overall value of the award:
- of the 93 claimants awarded less than £500, 26 per cent did not receive any payment
- of the 497 claimants awarded between £500 and £4,999, 40 per cent did not receive any payment
- of the 377 claimants awarded more than £5,000, 44 per cent did not receive any payment.
For more information on how to enforce a tribunal award, go to: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/EX328_0409.pdf
For more information on how to enforce a settlement by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), go to: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/EX329_web_0509.pdf