Cookeze

Protective Award cases members of our Employment team have acted on: Cookeze

Cookeze Limited entered administration in March 2020. The Company, founded in 2010 by chef Nigel Smith, traded as a commercial patisserie, supplying high profile events at football stadiums and racing events.

Administrators, Begbies Traynor, were appointed on 24^th March 2020 and around 70 employees were made redundant.

It was reported that the Company’s administration was attributable to the coronavirus pandemic which led to multiple cancellations of shows and sporting events which the Company was booked to supply.

SDM Legal were instructed in March 2020 by circa 40 employees to lodge a group Protective Award claim due to a failure by the company to consult with them on their redundancies.

Under s.188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA), an employer is obligated to collectively consult with its employees when proposing to make redundancies. As the company were proposing to make more than 100 employees redundant, the consultation period should have lasted over 45 days. As the employees were not consulted with in any capacity regarding their redundancies, they were eligible to make a claim for the Protective Award which is worth up to 90 days’ pay.

The case remains ongoing.