Pimlico Plumbers boss Charlie Mullins blasts ‘small-minded haters’ after gig economy tribunal victory
The boss of Pimlico Plumbers Charlie Mullins has blasted critics of his company as “small-minded haters," following a victory today at an Employment Tribunal in Croydon on whether a former plumber at the company was entitled to holiday pay.
“This decision is a vindication of everything that Pimlico Plumbers stands for. It also sends a message to those who have taken advantage of this case to peddle their poisonous bile about my company, and that they are in truth just a bunch of small-minded haters,” Mullins said.
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The tribunal found against Gary Smith, who won a landmark Supreme Court case last year which declared he was a worker and entitled to worker's rights.
Smith, who worked for the company between 2005 and 2011, had sued for £74,000 in unpaid holiday.
According to his lawyer, Jacqueline McGuigan of TMP Solicitors, he was unable to bring the claim as he was “time barred” under UK law which requires a tribunal to be brought within three months of the incident.
“Gary is very disappointed after spending seven years going through the courts defending his worker’s rights only to be met with a legal technicality on a tiny point,” she said.
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Mullins said: “I think that I have a case to sue for damages since there are some serious and obvious issues of reputational harm at stake here, which I am eager to pursue. After the tribunal’s decision I have asked my lawyers to go after costs from Mr Smith, which will be donated to charity.”
McGuigan said there was “no chance” of paying costs and said “we are appealing for sure”.