Discrimination claims 'cost employers more th

Employers in Britain spent more than £4 million meeting claims for unlawful discrimination during 2006, a new study claims.

Research conducted by Equal Opportunities Review found that a total of 313 cases of unlawful discrimination resulted in millions of pounds worth of compensation being awarded to wronged employers.

The publication discovered that in one quarter of all cases, the level of compensation was 'uplifted' under statutory disputes procedures to reflect employers' failure to comply with statutory procedures.

Introduced in 2004, statutory dispute procedures enable tribunals to raise the level of compensation by between ten per cent and 50 per cent based upon perceived failure by employers to implement statutory procedures adequately.

Sue Johnstone, editor of Equal Opportunities Review, said: "The uplift in compensation has emphasised the extent to which many employers fail to follow any kind of fair procedure when dealing with their employees."

A recent study by the UK's Equal Opportunities Commission concluded that it would take generations for female workers in Britain to achieve equality in pay and career prospects.

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Date:30/07/2007 10:58:06