The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals have issued a joint consultation statement seeking views on RPI-linked increases to the bands of awards for injury to feelings in discrimination cases, which have not risen since 2009.
To explain, the lower band is intended to capture less serious cases of discrimination, such as a one-off act of relatively minor harassment or discrimination. The middle band is for cases which are serious, but cannot reasonably be said to fall into the upper band, for example a serious one-off act of harassment or a lengthy but less serious act of discrimination. This band also covers instances where the discrimination was relatively minor, but still led to the loss of employment. The upper band is the reserve of the most serious cases of discrimination, for example where an individual suffers a long campaign of discrimination or harassment.
Currently, the bands are…
- Lower: £500 to £6,000
- Middle: £6,000 to £18,000
- Upper: £18,000 to £30,000
The proposed new bands are…
- Lower band: £1,000 to £8,000
- Middle band: £8,000 to £25,000
- Upper band: £25,000 to £42,000
Consultation is ongoing until 25 August 2017.
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