article_snippet: The introduction of fees of between £390 and £1,200 to take an employer to a tribunal, refundable if the case is won, has seen a 78 per cent fall in the number of cases since the case was introduced in July 2013, Official figures showed.
article_snippet: Under the last government, the taxpayer met the £86million a year cost of running the tribunals.
article_snippet: Firms were spending around £1.6billion a year in defence costs.
article_snippet: Employment tribunals were also a major cost to employers, which were spending around £1.6 billion a year in defence costs.
article_snippet: The British Chambers of Commerce estimated the average cost to a business of defending The British Chambers of Commerce at tribunal is £8,500, and the average cost of agreeing a settlement is £5,400.
article_snippet: Fees range from £390 for a straightforward claim over unfair dismissal or a failure to pay wages to £1,200 for sex or race discrimination.