Mrs G Ansa-Asamoah v Bestway Panacea Holdings Limited — 2026

The preliminary hearing determined whether Mrs G Ansa-Asamoah had sufficient continuous service to pursue her unfair dismissal claim. She worked for Bestway Panacea Holdings Limited under a zero-hours verbal arrangement on six dates between 26 October and 3 November 2022. The Tribunal found that this contract ended in November 2022 and that she entered a new permanent contract beginning on 13 March 2023, which recorded that date as the start of her continuous employment.

The Tribunal found that none of the statutory exceptions in section 212(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 preserved continuity during the intervening period. The delay in restarting work resulted from queries concerning the claimant's right-to-work documentation, rather than incapacity caused by sickness; there was no temporary cessation of work; and the parties' correspondence concerned entry into a new permanent contract. Her continuous employment therefore ran from 13 March 2023 until her dismissal on 20 November 2023.

Because the claimant had not completed the two years' continuous employment required by section 108 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Tribunal held that it lacked jurisdiction and dismissed the unfair dismissal claim without determining its merits. No monetary remedy was awarded or considered in the judgment.