In Person, accompanied by his mother Ms L Levenson For First v Bucket Group Ltd (in Voluntary Liquidation) — 2022

At this open preliminary hearing on 14 July 2022, the tribunal joined three linked cases and found that Bucket Group Ltd had employed the claimant from 22 May 2018 under a contract signed on 23 May 2018. It held that Bucket Group remained the claimant's employer throughout, that River Walk Group Ltd was only a shareholder in Bucket Group, and that Sucre London Ltd was a separate business owned and controlled by Addmind. On that basis, the tribunal held that the claimant's complaints of ordinary and automatic unfair dismissal, notice pay, holiday pay, unlawful deductions from wages, failure to pay the National Minimum Wage, redundancy pay and breach of contract could only proceed against Bucket Group Ltd and were struck out against respondents 2 to 7.

The age discrimination complaints were withdrawn by the claimant and dismissed on withdrawal. The disability discrimination complaints were struck out against all respondents. The tribunal said there was no reasonable prospect of finding that disability, or something arising from disability, was a reason for dismissal because Bucket Group had ceased trading and all employees were dismissed when the business stopped. It also rejected the Sucre-related complaints because the claimant had no evidence that others were offered work there, had not sent the email application route shown on the Instagram advert, and had only made an enquiry rather than a formal application.

The tribunal further held that the underpayment complaint was out of time because the last possible act relied on was in March 2020 and no reason was given for extending time on the just and equitable basis. It therefore struck that complaint out as well. The remaining employment and money claims were not finally determined at this hearing and were listed for a later one-day hearing against Bucket Group Ltd only.