Northampton woman was not paid redundancy money after 14 years of service at dry cleaners

A Northampton woman was not paid for her 14 years of service at a Kingsley dry cleaners after she was made redundant when a new owner took over.

An employment tribunal published last week (February 20) heard how the employee, Mrs M Bassi, was let go from her job at Express Ironing Services in Kingsley Park Terrace at 14 years in 2018 seven months after a new owner stepped in.

But when the new owner, Dr St John Heath of Ad Valorem Ltd, argued that he had only employed her for those seven months and didn't have responsibility for how she had worked at the dry cleaners for over a decade.

But at a tribunal in January, an employment judge ruled that Mrs Bassi's employment at the cleaners was unbroken and she deserved her full redundancy fee.

A report from the hearing reads: "While Dr St John Heath no doubt believed that he was purchasing a company without any employees, no evidence was produced to suggest that the business was not being sold as a going concern.

"By way of necessity, employees would have been working in the business up until and including the date of transfer to the [Ad Valorem].

"Mrs Bassi's continuity of employment was not broken and at the date of termination she had completed 14 years of service.

A remedy hearing was listed to determine how much Mrs Bassi was owed for her work, who had worked at the dry cleaners since 2003.