Mr Olegs Lacplesis v First Respondent: Patrick James Long, William Stephen Long & the personal — 2025

The Tribunal found that the First to Fifth Respondents failed to comply with section 188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Mr Olegs Lacplesis worked at the Lutton Farm establishment and was dismissed as redundant on 3 May 2024. There was no recognised trade union or elected employee representative at the establishment, and 20 or more employees were placed at risk of redundancy on, or within 90 days of, 11 April 2024. His individual claim for a protective award succeeded. The Tribunal awarded 90 days' remuneration for a protected period beginning on 11 April 2024, with the Recoupment Regulations applying. It found no reason to depart from the principle that protective awards should be for the maximum period unless circumstances made it just not to do so.

The Tribunal also found Mr Lacplesis entitled to a statutory redundancy payment of £8,460.04, calculated using gross weekly pay of £512.73, 14 years' continuous service and an age of 46 at dismissal. His unauthorised deduction from wages claim succeeded because he had not been paid from 8 April 2024; the Tribunal awarded £2,238.16 in arrears of pay. It additionally awarded £823.46 for unpaid accrued but untaken holiday pay. The First to Fifth Respondents were ordered to pay these quantified sums jointly and severally within 14 days.

The Tribunal recorded that Mr Lacplesis successfully mitigated his loss following dismissal and made no claim for notice pay. The claim against the Sixth Respondent, the Secretary of State, was not determined in this judgment and was to be listed for a case management hearing.