Facts
The employer, PG Plumbing (2014) Limited, closed for a period during the COVID-19 lockdown and temporarily laid off staff.
The claimant, William Hague-Holmes, was not paid his wages during that period. The employer said that it would have paid the claimant if the business had received a government wage subsidy. However, the employer had misunderstood the government s COVID-19 payroll co-funding scheme, believing that wages would be funded only for employees earning more than £2,000 per month. The employer realised the error too late and its wage subsidy application was rejected.
Decision
The tribunal ruled as follows:
I am sure it does not need to be said, that the interpretation of the Scheme by the Respondent is wrong, plainly wrong and frankly I consider an unreasonable one to make. On any reading of the Scheme documentation it is not one any person should make, let alone an employer who has employees depending on their salary to be able to cover they day-to-day outgoi