Mrs A Raja v Short Richardson and Forth Limited In Voluntary Liquidation — 2023

The claimant presented her claim on 31 December 2022. The respondent entered voluntary liquidation on 12 January 2023, and the liquidator informed the Tribunal on 2 February 2023 that he did not intend to admit or defend any claim. The judgment was entered under Rule 21 without a hearing because no response had been received from the respondent.

The tribunal recorded that on 5 September 2022 the respondent informed employees it would cease providing legal services after 30 September 2022 and proposed to dismiss 20 or more employees at its Newcastle office as redundant. The first dismissal took effect on 30 September 2022, the last on 30 November 2022, and the claimant was dismissed on 31 October 2022. The tribunal also recorded that there was no proper warning or consultation with a recognised trade union or the claimant, and no employee representatives had been elected or appointed within section 188A.

Despite those recorded facts, all claims were dismissed. The tribunal stated that the claimant had been required to provide her witness statement and relevant evidence by 5 June 2023, but none had been received by 4 July 2023. On that basis, and in accordance with Rule 21, the claims under section 189, wrongful dismissal, holiday pay, and redundancy pay were found not to be well-founded and were dismissed.