United Kingdom Employment Appeal Tribunal

BAILII case number: [1995] UKEAT 1082_95_1710

Appeal No. EAT/1082/95

EMPOLYMENT APPEAL TRIBUNAL

58 VICTORIA EMBANKMENT, LONDON EC4Y 0DS

At the Tribunal

On 17th October 1995

THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE MAURICE KAY

MRS J M MATTHIAS

MRS M T PROSSER

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MRS S GRATTON & OTHERS          APPELLANTS

ROCIALLE MEDICAL LTD          RESPONDENTS

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Transcript of Proceedings

JUDGMENT

Revised


 


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APPEARANCES

For the Appellant NO APPEARANCES OR REPRESENTATIONS

For the Respondents NO APPEARANCES OR REPRESENTATIONS


 


MR JUSTICE MAURICE KAY: This is an appeal against the decision of the Industrial Tribunal in Bristol dated 10th October 1995.

The position is that the case involving five applicants (including Mrs Gratton), was listed for hearing on 19th October 1995. The respondent applied for a postponement of that date by a letter dated 6th October 1995. That application was considered by the Tribunal Chairman in Bristol, and on 10th October 1995 he made an order granting the application for a postponement and giving a revised hearing date of Monday, 13th November 1995. The reason put forward for the application was the unavailability of the respondent's personnel director described as:

"... our principal witness, ..."

The appellants are naturally frustrated by the deferment of their case, although we are gratified to see that it is only being put back by a period of four weeks.

The appellants appeal against the decision to put it back four weeks. We have considered their application. It seems to us to raise no point of law whatsoever. The Tribunal had a discretion, exercised it appropriately, and in all the circumstances the appellants appeal must be dismissed.