Claimant v Nature Alpha Group Limited

Outcome

Facts

The claimant, a data scientist, worked for the respondent startup from December 2021 to November 2023 under consultancy agreements. She was initially paid £2,000 per month, held the title of CTO then Chief Scientific Officer, and eventually was offered an employment contract for £10,000 per month which was never finalised. She resigned in November 2023 due to late payment and discovering male comparators were paid more. She claimed equal pay, sex discrimination, and breach of contract. The respondent argued she was always a consultant, not an employee or worker.

Decision

The tribunal found the claimant was an employee under the Equality Act 2010 (allowing discrimination and equal pay claims to proceed) but not under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (likely barring breach of contract claims). However, the tribunal found her alleged equal pay comparators (Srivastava, Kato, Azzari) were not employees and thus not valid comparators under s.79 EqA, meaning her equal pay claim would likely fail. The tribunal also refused to strike out the respondent's response despite carelessness in disclosure, finding the errors were not deliberate and a fair trial remained possible.

Practical note

Legal authorities cited