The abolition of Employment Tribunal fees has led to an increase in cases across the country.

Fees were abolished in July 2017 when the Supreme Court ruled that they were unlawful. Under the system, claimants had to spend up to £1,200 to fund cases of unfair dismissal, discrimination and equal pay.

Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that In April to June 2019, single claim receipts and outstanding caseload both increased (by 14 per cent and 19 per cent respectively) when compared to the same period in 2018.

Furthermore, from the launch of the ET fee refund scheme to 30 June 2019, there were 22,100 applications for refunds received and 22,000 refund payments made, with a total value of £17.6m.

Iain Burke of Borders Employment Law, said: “Since the abolition of employment tribunal fees the increase in cases has risen across the country. As a result, the Glasgow Employment Tribunal Office is considering introducing evening sittings due to the high volume of cases. Evening sittings are likely to cover short, fast-track cases.

“This is to likely to be introduced on a small scale from the beginning of April.”