(1) Mr J Jacob (2) Mrs G Jacob v Royal Mail Group Limited — 2025

The claimants were dismissed by Royal Mail Group Ltd on 13 October 2023 after they had been charged with offences connected to their son's criminal activity. The respondent relied on substantial concerns and unmanageable risks arising from the criminal charges, including reputational risk, suitability to perform their roles, the impact on colleagues, and the prospect of maintaining paid suspension until a trial listed for March 2025.

The tribunal found that the respondent's concerns were genuine and more than minor or trivial, amounting to some other substantial reason for dismissal. It found that the respondent was entitled, on the information available at the time, to regard the charges and the planned public trial as creating real reputational and operational concerns, particularly given the respondent's role as a postal service and its business standards concerning public trust.

The tribunal concluded that the procedure followed was fair and sufficient in the circumstances. The claimants had fact-finding meetings, were informed of the concerns, were accompanied, received pay in lieu of notice, and had a right of appeal. The tribunal accepted that alternatives such as other roles, special leave, career breaks, or continued paid suspension were not reasonable in the circumstances, and dismissed the unfair dismissal claims.