Public sector bodies ‘face most employment tribunals’

Posted 01/06/2009

Public sector bodies are more likely to be on the receiving end of legal action from disgruntled employees.

According to research by EMW Picton Howell, more than a third of employment tribunals in 2008 were against state-run organisations.

This is despite the fact that only one in four employees in the UK work for these bodies.

Jon Taylor, spokesperson for the company, attributed this to a number of factors, such as a higher proportion of the workforce being members of trade unions.

He added that fixed pay scales have also played a part, as they make it easier for men and women to compare their respective salaries and see whether employment laws are being met.

“With some public sector jobs naturally attracting either exclusively male or female workers, this can lead to gender-related equal pay claims if very similar jobs are paid at completely different pay scales,” Mr Taylor commented.

Absenteeism was highlighted another factor behind this trend, as public sector workers enjoy more generous sick pay policies.

This has led to bosses attempting to clamp down on the problem facing legal action from disgruntled workers.

Despite the findings, a new study by the Keep Britain Working Campaign has found that employees in the public sector are less likely to have their salary reduced than their counterparts in the private sector.