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United Kingdom Employment Appeal Tribunal |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Employment Appeal Tribunal >> Brill v Interactive Business Communications Ltd [2010] UKEAT 0062_09_2004 (20 April 2010) URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKEAT/2010/0062_09_2004.html Cite as: [2010] UKEAT 0062_09_2004, [2010] UKEAT 62_9_2004 |
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At the Tribunal | |
Before
THE HONOURABLE MRS JUSTICE SLADE
(SITTING ALONE)
APPELLANT | |
RESPONDENT |
Transcript of Proceedings
JUDGMENT
For the Appellant | MS NICOLA BRAGANZA (of Counsel) Instructed by: Messrs Duncan Lewis & Co Solicitors 1 Kingsland High Street Dalston London E8 2JS |
For the Respondent | MR LACHLAN WILSON (of Counsel) Instructed by: Messrs Curwens Solicitors Crossfield House Gladbeck Way Enfield Middlesex EN2 7HT |
SUMMARY
PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE
Amendment
Striking-out/dismissal
An Employment Judge erred in refusing permission to amend an ET1 to add an associative disability discrimination claim on the ground that no statutory grievance had been raised in respect of such a claim. If the proposed amendment was of or included complaint of discrimination by dismissal no such grievance was required. The application to amend and the application for setting aside the revocation of permission to amend was remitted to an Employment Judge for determination.
An Employment Judge did not err in revoking an unless order and restoring an ET3 which had been automatically struck out on the date of non-compliance with the order. The Employment Judge did not err in concluding that such steps were disproportionate to enforce an order requiring disclosure of the address of a potential witness. In any event the imposition of an unless order on 30 December 2008 for compliance by 2 January 2009 was unreasonable. The order did not and could not have been expected to come to the attention of the Respondent until after the time for compliance had passed.
THE HONOURABLE MRS JUSTICE SLADE
"1. The Claimant was unfairly dismissed.
2. The Claimant caused his dismissal to the extent of 100% and it is just and equitable that his award of compensation be reduced to nil.
3. The Respondents did not breach the Claimant's contract of employment when they dismissed him without notice.
4. The Respondents did not breach the Claimant's contract of employment nor did they make unauthorised deduction from wages by not paying him commissions after the termination of his employment.
5. The Respondent's Counterclaim is dismissed."
"According to that note Mr Brill became abusive, denied doing anything wrong and said the company could not do anything about it anyway. If anything was done he would sue. […] He said that they still had to pay him commission even if he never came into the office at all, that he could come and go as he pleased and no one could tell him otherwise. When Mr Saward said that if Mr Brill was not prepared to work from 0900 to 1730 and look after his accounts like other Sales Executives the employment would be terminated. Mr Brill said he was not prepared to do that and repeated that no one could do anything about it. Mr Brill became abusive and threatened legal action and at that point Mr Saward terminated the meeting."
"The finding of the Tribunal is that the reason for dismissal was the Claimant's refusal to confirm that he would abide by a fundamental term of the contract, that is to say to attend the office between 0900 to 1800 Monday to Friday."
The Tribunal went on to conclude that the dismissal was unfair because the same person had taken the decision to dismiss as had determined the appeal. However, it decided that there should be a deduction in the award of 100% for contributory conduct by Mr Brill. Accordingly no award was made in respect of his unfair dismissal.
Appeal from the revocation of the grant of permission to amend the ET1
"The Employment Judge refuses the permission to amend. Claimant's Representative has not dealt with the crucial jurisdictional argument that no grievance was sent to the Respondent about these fresh issues of disability discrimination. Claimant's legal advisers could have presented such a claim and have requested a stay pending the ECJ decision and so the Coleman v Attridge point is rejected. The issues to be decided will be as set out by Employment Judge Cassel on 20 May 2008."
Accordingly, the substantive hearing proceeded in January 2009 without a Disability Discrimination Act 1995 claim before the Tribunal.
Discussion
"(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and to rules 10(7) and 18(7), [an Employment Judge] may make an order on his own initiative with or without hearing the parties or giving them an opportunity to make written or oral representations. He may also decide to hold a case management discussion or pre-hearing review on his own initiative.
(2) Where [an Employment Judge] makes an order without giving the parties the opportunity to make representations-
(a) the Secretary must send to the party affected by such order a copy of the order and a statement explaining the right to make an application under [sub-] paragraph 2(b); and
(b) a party affected by the order may apply to have it varied or revoked."
Appeal from the revocation of the sanction of striking out the Response to the Appellant's claim
Discussion
"An order may also provide that unless the order is complied with, the claim or, as the case may be, the response shall be struck out on the date of non-compliance without further consideration of the proceedings or the need to give notice under rule 19 or hold a pre-hearing review or Hearing."
Conclusion
(2) The appeal from the judgment of Employment Judge Southam of 6 January 2009 is dismissed.