United Kingdom Employment Appeal Tribunal

APPEARANCES

 

For the Appellant	NO APPEARANCE BY OR REPRESENTATION ON BEHALF OF THE APPELLANT


 


MRS JUSTICE SMITH: In the appeal of Mr P.M. Stannack and Project North East, we have been asked to consider adjourning the Preliminary Hearing of this appeal. The Appellant says that he wishes to attend. By facsimile letter received on 4 October, that is yesterday, Mr Stannack said that he had just found out that he was due to appear on 5 October to present his case. He had found out on Friday of last week (that would be 2 October) that his partner's father's open heart surgery, which had been scheduled to take place the last week, had been re-scheduled for 8 October.

This morning we were told that a further domestic problem had arisen for Mr Stannack, but on further enquiry made by the Tribunal Clerk during the short adjournment, it has transpired that that was a misunderstanding. However, the Tribunal Clerk has reported to us that Mr Stannack's partner's father's heart surgery is to take place today and not on 8 October, as he said in his facsimile letter of 4 October.

In the light of those circumstances, we have decided to adjourn this Preliminary Hearing. However, we will request the Tribunal Clerk to telephone Mr Stannack today to find out a day upon which he can attend. That day must be during my sittings in the EAT, that is during the next four weeks, as it appears to us to be unnecessary and unfair to require another Tribunal of three to read these papers and prepare for that hearing.

Accordingly, I reserve this matter to myself on a day convenient to Mr Stannack within the next four weeks, and the matter is adjourned on that basis.