THE number of council staff taking legal action against their employer has increased dramatically this year.

Since March, 21 tribunal claims were submitted against Waltham Forest Council, compared to just seven in the previous two years.

Only six cases since 2006 have been resolved, figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.

Five of these were settled and one was withdrawn.

The figures also show staff submitted grievances against the council 48 times in the 12 months up to March 2007.

Just under a third of the claims related to bullying, while one in ten alleged race or disability discrimination.

The grievance was upheld in only 16 per cent of cases.

A total of 56 grievances procedures were instigated by staff between April 2005 and March 2006.

Of these, a quarter related to bullying, while one in five allegations focussed on sex or race discrimination.

Only 15 per cent of the complaints were upheld and just over half were rejected during the period.