Unfair dismissal claims face five-year delay as tribunal backlog grows

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Unfair dismissal claims face five-year delay as tribunal backlog grows15 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleDominic CascianiHome and legal correspondentBBCCatriona Ball, whose late husband's case will not be heard until 2029, says she did not realise there would be such long delaysUnprecedented employment tribunal service delays in England and Wales mean people bringing unfair dismissal claims are waiting up to five years for their case to be heard. Expert lawyers say there must now be radical change if there is to be justice for both claimants and the companies involved. One of those affected is Catriona Ball, whose husband Lewis died in 2024, weeks after he quit a job he believed had been making him ill.

After his death, she lodged a claim at the Employment Tribunal for constructive unfair dismissal and an alleged failure to make reasonable adjustments for disability. His former employer is contesting the claim. This story is not about what went on between him and the company and who's right or wrong - but how long it will take to resolve the case.

The Details

Catriona filed the claim in February 2025, but the case will not come before a judge for a full hearing and judgment until 2029. Catriona BallLewis had quit his job just weeks before his deathFor Catriona, the daily roller coaster of coping with the death of her husband has been worsened by the legal limbo she now finds herself in. Lewis died on 2 November 2024 aged 43.

It began as just a normal Saturday at Aylestone St James, Lewis's childhood rugby club, half an hour from where they lived with their two children near Kettering - and where he still played. "Part-way through the game, he came into the clubhouse, saying he had chest pains," says Catriona. "He then went off to try and find aspirins at the far end of the clubhouse - and collapsed.

"Everything was done to try to save Lewis - including using a defibrillator he had helped the club to secure. There was nothing anyone, including the paramedics, could do and he died at the scene. "It's been horrific," she says.

What Experts Say

Every day is affected and you have to get through each day. You've got kids who need you. You have to just take it literally one day at a time.

"Lewis died of coronary artery disease and hypertension. He had quit his work weeks earlier because he believed he was under intolerable stress that was not being taken seriously. Catriona BallCatriona says her husband Lewis was very family-orientedCatriona says she will have to sell the family home in order to fund her tribunal case, because until it is completed she cannot settle her late husband's estate.

There's virtually no legal aid for employment tribunals. "He was very loving and very family-oriented, very funny," she says. I don't have much opportunity to think back about the positive things about him, because I'm stuck in this grief and managing legal issues.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.