C Khan v Castle Point Borough Council — 2026

The claimant brought claims for unpaid wages or breach of contract against Castle Point Borough Council. The respondent disputed jurisdiction, saying the claimant was an agency worker, the claim was out of time, and there were no unpaid wages. The preliminary hearing determined whether the claimant was an employee or worker of the respondent for the purposes of those claims.

The tribunal found that the claimant had an explicit contractual relationship with Matrix governing her engagement with the respondent, and that there was no necessity to infer a contract between the claimant and the respondent. It accepted that the claimant's role changed and that she negotiated a pay increase directly with the respondent, but found that those matters did not make the arrangement inconsistent with a genuine agency staff arrangement.

The tribunal concluded that the claimant was neither an employee nor a worker of the respondent within the meaning of section 230 Employment Rights Act 1996. It therefore held that it had no jurisdiction to hear the breach of contract or unauthorised deductions from wages claims, and dismissed the claim.