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Summary:

A settlement agreement is a contract between an employer and employee, usually for a sum of money, in return for the employee’s agreement not to pursue any claims in an Employment Tribunal or any other Court. 

When making an award for injury to feelings in discrimination and whistleblowing cases, the Employment Tribunal uses the Vento Bands. These are usually increased every year. For this year and for claims which are issued on or after 6 April 2022 the new bands will be: 

On 17 March 2022 P&O Ferries dismissed approximately 800 employees with immediate effect with the intention of replacing the employees with cheaper agency staff. 

Compensation in the Employment Tribunal is generally based upon actual financial loss. However, in discrimination and detriment for making a protected disclosure claims (colloquially known as whistleblowing) a worker can claim compensation for ‘injury to feelings’. Injury to feelings cannot be claimed for standalone unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal claims.

The term Settlement has been in the news a lot recently following Ms Giuffre reaching the terms of a Settlement with Andrew, thought at one time to be the Queen’s favourite son. It is a dilemma faced by many litigants – whether they should settle their claim or have their day in court. Of course, their day in court may go terribly wrong, they could lose their case after racking up a significant legal bill but if it goes well, they could have public vindication and a finding of culpability against, in this case, the perpetrator of a serious crime.