Unfair claim dropped
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• A Liverpool industrial tribunal has ruled that it has no jurisdiction to consider a claim for unfair dismissal made by a tanker driver who was sacked by Tankfreight.
The claim was dropped because the driver's employment was not classed as continuous even though he had been doing the same job for a number of years.
Arthur Price had been employed by Gulf Oil since September 1986. He signed an agreement on 24 November 1987 which stated that he would be made redundant by Gulf on 31 December 1987; and that on or about 8 January 1988 the company would pay him £3,950, which was the statutory redundancy payment, plus an extra gratis payment of £18,144.
The sums agreed were paid and Price continued to work as before, but he was now employed by Tankfreight.
Price supported his unfair dismissal case by showing the tribunal a copy of an agreement between Tankfreight and the Transport and General Workers' Union, covering all drivers employed on petroleum distribution by Gulf Oil.
The tribunal was satisfied that Price's employment with Gulf Oil finished at the end of December 1987 and that his job with Tankfreight began on 4 January 1988 and finished on 1 December 1989. Consequently, Price had not worked for Tankfreight for two years continuously and, therefore, did not qualify to claim for unfair dismissal.