Mr S Kafere v Stardust Estates Ltd — 2025

The tribunal found that a contract of employment was formed on 30 October 2024 when Ms Bis offered the Head Housekeeper role and the claimant accepted it. The agreed terms were that he would clean apartments on a 40-hour week basis, with pay of £24,960 per annum payable monthly, and that the timing of work would be given by WhatsApp from Ms Szewczyk or Ms Bis. The tribunal rejected the respondent's case that pay only became the claimed £15 per apartment basis if the written statement on the HR portal was not signed; it found there was no agreement to that effect and no evidence that salary was conditional on signature.

The tribunal found that the claimant worked from 31 October 2024 until 13 November 2024 inclusive, which was exactly two weeks, and that his non-working days were to be included. It accepted that the employment ended by mutual agreement on 13 November 2024, because the following day the claimant did not come to work and the respondent did not take steps to hold him to the contract. On that basis, the claimant was entitled to the equivalent proportion of his annual salary for that period, calculated as £960 gross.

The respondent had paid £420 on 3 December 2024, describing that sum as £15 per apartment cleaned plus £15 for miscellaneous tasks. The tribunal held that the unpaid balance of £540 was properly payable wages and that the shortfall fell within section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 as an unlawful deduction from wages. The claim was therefore upheld and the respondent was ordered to pay £540 less any lawfully required deductions for income tax and employee National Insurance contributions.