In person For the v Ms L Carr - Solicitor — 2020

This was a public preliminary hearing in Manchester on 14 January 2020 before Employment Judge A M Buchanan. The claimant appeared in person and the respondent was represented by Ms L Carr, solicitor. The Tribunal first dealt with the respondent's application to strike out for non-compliance with Rules 8-14 of the Employment Tribunals Rules 2013. That application was dismissed because the claimant had made only a minor error in naming the respondent, and the Tribunal held that it would not be in the interests of justice to strike out the claim on that basis; the respondent's name was amended to Matrix Telematics Limited without re-service.

The Tribunal then considered time limits for the unfair dismissal claim. It found that it had been reasonably practicable for the claim to have been filed by 16 August 2019, as extended by section 207B of the Employment Rights Act 1996. The claim was filed on 11 September 2019, so the Tribunal held that it lacked jurisdiction under section 111(1) of the 1996 Act and struck out the unfair dismissal claim. The Tribunal also found, in any event, that the claim had not been presented within such further period as was reasonable under section 111(2)(b) of the 1996 Act.