An employment tribunal has awarded nominal compensation of £2 for a breach of an employee's right to be accompanied.
The employer had a policy of refusing to permit two brothers (who were PTSC union officials) to accompany employees at disciplinary or grievance meetings. This was because an employment tribunal, in separate proceedings by one of the brothers against the employer had awarded £10,000 in costs against both brothers for vexatious conduct. This conduct had involved falsifying the date on which a witness statement was prepared. The employer therefore took the view that the brothers had attempted to obtain substantial compensation from it using dishonest means and so banned them from acting as companions.
In refusing an employee to be accompanied by one of the others, the employer had breached his rights but as he had not suffered any loss or detriment, due to conducting the hearing in a considerate and thorough fashion, going through his arguments and taking into account his long service, he was only awarded £2.