Mr Matthew Peat v Valley Group Limited — 2025

The claimant, a Heating Engineer employed by the respondent from 24 February to 17 June 2025, brought complaints of automatic unfair dismissal under section 104 ERA 1996, unlawful deduction from wages under sections 13 and 15 ERA 1996, and breach of contract in relation to notice pay. Employment Judge Campbell, sitting alone in Glasgow, heard evidence from the claimant and four witnesses for the respondent.

On the wages and working-time issues, the tribunal found that the claimant had not established entitlement to the hours and expenses he claimed; his timesheets included rounded-up times that were inconsistent with van tracker and Simpro app records, and overtime had to be authorised in advance. On the dismissal, the tribunal accepted on the contractual point that the claimant had completed his three-month probationary period and would in principle have been entitled to two weeks' notice, but found that the respondent's managers genuinely and on the evidence correctly concluded that the claimant had committed gross misconduct by falsifying timesheets, which amounted to a repudiatory breach releasing the respondent from any notice obligation.

The tribunal concluded that the claimant had not discharged the burden of proof on any of his complaints and that the evidence was more consistent with the respondent's position. All complaints were accordingly dismissed.