Mr Greg Miller v Respondent — 2026

Mr Greg Miller brought a claim under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 challenging a deduction of £562 from his final pay. He said the deduction related to forklift training that he did not receive, or did not receive to the standard he expected. The respondent said he had signed a written repayment agreement on 4 April 2025 under which he agreed to repay the training costs if he left within 12 months, and that he had left within that period after attending the training.

The tribunal found that the claimant had entered into the repayment agreement and had agreed that any outstanding money could be deducted from salary. The agreement referred to counterbalance/forklift training at an estimated cost of £630 and provided for 100% repayment if he left within 12 months after completion of the course. The evidence accepted by the tribunal was that the claimant attended a 1.5 day training course, the trainer invoiced the respondent £450 for one full day and £187.50 for a half day, and a certificate of competence was issued for a basic counterbalance course.

The tribunal recorded that the claimant challenged the quality and nature of the training, but accepted that he attended the training and that the respondent had incurred the costs. It also recorded that he had been told to raise any concerns about the quality of the training with the provider, with the possibility of a reduction being passed on if the provider reduced its charge, but no reduction was made. The respondent deducted £562.50 from the claimant's final salary in June 2025, which was less than the full estimated repayment because the respondent had limited recovery to the cost of the days actually attended and made a further reduction in respect of the claimant's employment record.

The tribunal held that the deduction was not unlawful because there was written consent to the deduction before the training took place and the sum paid in the final salary was the sum properly payable under the contract. It said the claimant had no basis for challenging the deduction once he had agreed to repay the training costs if he left within a year, had attended the course, and had left within that period. The claim was therefore dismissed.