Mr L Reid v Crime Scene Cleaning UK Ltd — 2023

The claimant, Mr L Reid, was employed by Crime Scene Cleaning UK Ltd as a cleaner from 7 December 2021 until 8 September 2022. He did not attend or participate at the hearing. The tribunal accepted the evidence of Mr Collins, the respondent's Commercial Director, as plausible and reliable, and noted that he had only recently become aware of the litigation after the company's purchase at the end of February 2023.

The claimant had failed to comply with case management orders requiring him to set out the basis of his claims and provide a calculation of the sums claimed. The tribunal recorded that the claimant had alleged he was "underpaid multiple times" and was not paid for trips to help other employees or to pick up stock, but he produced no evidence to support those assertions.

Applying section 13 Employment Rights Act 1996, the tribunal found that the claimant had not proved that the respondent made any unauthorised deductions from wages. It also found that he had not proved any contractually recoverable expenses, any breach of contract concerning payment of expenses, or any loss arising from the employment. The respondent's payment records showed, in Mr Collins' evidence, that the claimant had been paid all monies due to him.

The judgment therefore dismissed both the unauthorised deductions from wages claim and the breach of contract claim as not well-founded.