Cases6007051/2024

Claimant v Sole Biz Limited

Outcome

Claimant succeeds£2,113

Individual claims

Unlawful Deduction from Wagessucceeded

The tribunal found the respondent made unauthorized deductions from the claimant's wages in June and July 2024. The net amount deducted was £1,140.76, which the tribunal ordered to be paid.

Holiday Paysucceeded

The tribunal found the respondent made an unauthorized deduction by failing to pay the claimant for holidays accrued but not taken when employment ended. The gross sum of £972.62 was ordered to be paid.

Redundancy Paysucceeded

The claim for redundancy payment was satisfied by payments from the Insolvency Service, indicating it was well-founded but paid through the redundancy payments scheme rather than by the respondent.

Breach of Contractsucceeded

The breach of contract claim was satisfied by payments from the Insolvency Service, indicating the claim was well-founded but resolved through the insolvency scheme.

Failure to Inform & Consultsucceeded

The tribunal found the respondent failed to comply with section 188 of TULRCA 1992 regarding collective consultation. A protective award of 90 days beginning 5 July 2024 was made, the maximum available, indicating serious failure to consult.

Facts

The claimant was employed by Sole Biz Ltd, which entered creditors' voluntary liquidation. Employment ended on 5 July 2024. The respondent made unauthorized deductions from wages in June and July 2024 totalling £1,140.76 net, and failed to pay accrued holiday pay of £972.62 gross. The respondent also failed to comply with collective consultation requirements under s.188 TULRCA 1992 before making redundancies. Some claims (redundancy pay and breach of contract) were satisfied by the Insolvency Service.

Decision

The tribunal found all claims well-founded. It ordered payment of £1,140.76 for unauthorized wage deductions and £972.62 for holiday pay. It made a protective award of 90 days beginning 5 July 2024 for failure to consult, with recoupment provisions applying. The quantum of the protective award is to be agreed with liquidators or determined in further proceedings under s.192.

Practical note

Default judgment against insolvent respondent grants maximum 90-day protective award for complete failure to consult on collective redundancies, with detailed recoupment procedures applying given the company's insolvency.

Award breakdown

Holiday pay£973
Arrears of pay£1,141

Legal authorities cited

Statutes

Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 s.188Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 s.192Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2024 Rule 22

Case details

Case number
6007051/2024
Decision date
7 February 2025
Hearing type
default judgment
Hearing days
Classification
default

Respondent

Sector
other
Represented
No

Claimant representation

Represented
No