New research project on Employment Tribunal capacity and delays
Employment Tribunals in England and Wales are under increasing pressure to deliver justice. The open caseload has grown substantially over the last two years, and cases are taking a very long time to be heard. T
here is a real risk this undermines employment justice - as workers grow disenchanted, and employers feel they can get away with it. We want to use our research to evidence this issue, and collaborate with employment rights experts to find workable solutions.
About this research project
The first step is to document what drives the capacity issues faced by Employment Tribunals in England and Wales. We want to do this quantitatively, with reference to government data, and qualitatively, by talking to legal practitioners with experience of the system.
We plan to publish a report that will be shared with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders and drive subsequent policy engagements. We hope this project will be particularly useful to HM Courts and Tribunals Service and to the Department for Business and Trade, which is preparing to launch the new Fair Work Agency (FWA).
Can you contribute?
We would like to speak to legal practitioners about their experiences of navigating capacity issues in Employment Tribunals, and their views on possible solutions. Interviews usually last up to 1 hour, are conducted remotely, and. all outputs will be pseudonymised, unless you choose to be identifiable.
Read our participant information sheet for more details.
You can email the lead researcher, Andrei Savitski, to express your interest in taking part at research@workrightscentre.org. We will be conducting interviews through mid-to-late January 2026.
Do you have any clients who experienced significant delays in the Employment Tribunal?
We are also trying to understand how delays affect workers who make a claim in the Employment Tribunal. This could be related to their mental health, employment, family life or something else. If you know anybody who would be willing to share their experience on an anonymous basis, please ask them to complete a quick 5-minute survey via this link.
Stay in touch
If you have a question about this project, drop us a note at research@workrightscentre.org To be the first to receive the report in your inbox, sign up to our newsletter.