no attendance For the v Ms A Salt, Solicitor — 2024

The claim was listed for hearing on 17 April 2024 before Employment Judge French sitting alone at Watford via cloud video platform. The claimant did not attend and was not represented; the respondent was represented by Ms A Salt, Solicitor. The tribunal recorded that it gave oral reasons at the hearing and then issued written reasons on its own initiative so that the claimant would know why the claim had been dismissed.

The tribunal applied rule 47 of the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure 2013. It checked the tribunal correspondence inbox, telephoned the number on file for the claimant without answer, and allowed additional time for attendance until 2.25pm, after the hearing had been due to start at 2.00pm. The tribunal also noted that there had been an earlier hearing on 5 April 2024 at which the claimant again did not attend and did not explain the absence, and that hearing had been adjourned to give the claimant another opportunity to attend.

The tribunal was satisfied that notice of the hearing had been sent to the email address provided on the ET1 on 8 April 2024. The respondent said the claimant had not engaged since issuing the claim and understood the matter was not being actively pursued. Because the claimant was absent, the tribunal said it could not clarify or better understand the complaints, and it therefore dismissed the claim pursuant to rule 47. No substantive findings were made on the underlying unfair dismissal, working time, or religion or belief issues, and no remedy was awarded.