Butcher awarded £11,871 after redundancy dismissal with no notice or holiday pay

A redundancy dismissal that left the employee unpaid

A former butcher who was made redundant by Garbett Butchers Ltd received no notice pay, no holiday pay, and no redundancy payment from his employer. After presenting his claims to the employment tribunal late, he successfully argued that it had not been reasonably practicable to submit them on time. The tribunal agreed and extended the deadline, allowing his case to proceed.

The employer did not attend the hearing or file a response, leaving the claims uncontested. The tribunal found that the claimant had been dismissed by reason of redundancy and was entitled to a redundancy payment of £7,552.50, plus notice pay of £1,510.25 (net) and holiday pay of £2,308.50 (gross). An additional £500 was awarded for loss of statutory employment rights, bringing the total to £11,871.25.

What the employer could have done differently

Garbett Butchers Ltd could have avoided this outcome by engaging with the process. By failing to respond to the claim or attend the hearing, the employer lost the chance to challenge the amounts or argue that the dismissal was fair. Even if a redundancy is genuine, employers must still follow proper procedure and make all required payments. In this case, the lack of any response meant the tribunal accepted the claimant's evidence without question.

Why this case matters

This case shows that employment tribunals will take a pragmatic approach to late claims if there is a good reason for the delay. It also highlights the importance of employers complying with their legal obligations when making redundancies. For employees, the result is a reminder that even if an employer ignores the process, the tribunal can still award compensation — and that unrepresented claimants can succeed against an absent respondent.