Ms H Platt (counsel) For the v Respondent — 2024

The claimant, a financial control assistant employed from February 2018 until her summary dismissal on 14 May 2021, brought complaints arising out of her treatment between January 2021 (when she told her employer she was pregnant) and May 2021. The tribunal heard the case on 18-21 March, 28 March and 12 April 2024 and dealt with liability only, reserving remedy.

The tribunal unanimously found that five specific matters amounted to pregnancy discrimination under section 18 of the Equality Act 2010 and pregnancy detriment under section 47C of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and regulation 19 of the Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999, succeeding against the second respondent. Those matters were: presenting the claimant with a new employment contract containing an earlier start time on 7 January 2021; asking her to sign the new contract on 23 February and 19 March 2021 and stating agreement would be assumed; not upholding her grievance on 8 March 2021 in respect of the identification of her role as part time and the new contract; informing her on 24 March 2021 that her salary would be reduced to the pro-rata equivalent of 20 hours per week; and failing to pay her full wages in April 2021. The remaining pregnancy-related complaints were dismissed.

The complaints of victimisation under section 27 of the Equality Act 2010, automatic and ordinary unfair dismissal under sections 98 and 99 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and wrongful dismissal in respect of notice pay all failed and were dismissed. The complaint of unauthorised deduction from wages in respect of two days' statutory sick pay due in April 2021 (£19.17 per day) was well founded; the remaining deduction complaints were dismissed. All complaints against the first respondent were dismissed. The claimant had withdrawn complaints of whistleblowing detriment and indirect sex discrimination at the start of the hearing.