The BSS Group Ltd and Travis Perkins plc

Case Summary

The claimant failed to attend the tribunal hearing on 10 March 2026 and had not complied with orders requiring further detail about his disability discrimination claim. Employment Judge Dick dismissed the claim under rule 47 after making inquiries about the claimant's absence and finding he was not actively pursuing the case.

The claimant failed to attend the hearing and had not complied with tribunal orders of 17 July requiring further details about his claim. The judge found no reasonable excuse for absence after making all practicable enquiries, and determined the claimant was not actively pursuing the claim.

• •Non-attendance at hearing
• •Failure to comply with tribunal orders of 17 July requiring further details on disability claim
• •Application of rule 47 to dismiss claim

Case No: 6001807/2025 EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS Claimant: Mr J Spence Respondents: (1) The BSS Group Limited (2) Travis Perkins PLC Heard at: Watford On: 10 March 2026 Before: Employment Judge Dick Representation Claimant: Did not attend Respondents: Miss Campbell (legal specialist for the second respondent) JUDGMENT The claim is dismissed under rule 47 because the claimant did not attend the hearing. REASONS 1. The claimant did not attend today’s hearing. I did wonder whether the email address on the claim form, to which all of the Tribunal’s correspondence will have been sent, contained a typographical error – the address omitted the final “e” in the claimant’s surname. However, Miss Campbell for the respondents was able to tell me that the one and only email the respondents had received from the claimant – on 17 November 2025 – had come from the email address without an “e”, so clearly the Tribunal’s correspondence was sent to the right address. Miss Campbell further told me that the respondent had had no recent contact from the claimant, and in particular no response to its email of 15 August 2026 reminding the claimant about his obligation to respond to the Tribunal’s orders of 17 July. 2. The 17 July orders required the claimant to provide further detail about his claim, including the basis for his assertion that he is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010. My clerk was able to tell me that the Tribunal had not received any correspondence from the claimant after April 2025, when the claimant submitted an application to amend his claim. Case No: 6001807/2025 3. The 17 November email, Miss Campbell told me, was the claimant’s response to the Tribunal’s letter which informed the parties that the previous date for this hearing had been vacated – the claimant provided dates to avoid, none o…