The Bull pub in Colchester made to pay £1000s after tribunal

Jane Phillips, director of The Bull in Colchester, was left to pay £5,232 in unpaid wages, compensation, and damages to two ex-employees after an employment tribunal.

Jack Litchfield and Charlotte Wrigley took their former boss to court after “unauthorised deductions” were made from their wages.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service records published last month reveal the pub in Crouch Street docked £304 and £500 respectively from its two ex-workers' final pay packets, which the pub’s director agreed to pay.

Workplace - The Bull pub in Colchester city centre (Image: Google)

A tribunal judge at the East London Hearing Centre also ruled Phillips had failed to pay Litchfield and Wrigley for annual leave which had been accrued but not taken before they quit their jobs.

The judge ordered the pub boss to stump up the unpaid holiday and compensation totalling £1,320, while Phillips also agreed to pay Wrigley £370 in damages after dismissing her without notice.

Pub bosses have since asked for the judgment to be reconsidered and claim the issue arose after a dispute regarding one of the claimant's second jobs, which resulted in the other walking out in solidarity with their colleague.

“We have further investigations still taking place but are fully co-operative and hope to bring the entire thing to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible,” a statement said.

Do employers have to pay for unused holidays when you leave your job?

Samantha Randall, an employment solicitor at the Colchester-based law firm Birkett Long, said employees are entitled to be paid at their normal rate for any accrued but untaken statutory holiday entitlement when they leave a job unless an employer asks them to use their leftover days off.

Lawyer - Samantha Randall, an employment solicitor at Birkett Long (Image: Birkett Long)

“This means the employer must pay the employee holiday pay instead of the employee taking the holiday, which is known as a payment in lieu,” she said.

“Some employment contracts include more holiday entitlement than the statutory amount, and, therefore, employees should check their contract of employment carefully for rules around pay for any additional amount.”

She added that employees who aren’t paid correctly can take steps including contacting their employer, reviewing their contract and holiday policies, raising a formal grievance, or contacting Acas before pursuing an employment tribunal.