A SNOOKER club has been ordered to pay £4,500 to a employee of more than ten years who was made redundant at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown without pay.

Clacton Snooker Centre told Zella Davis, 60, they could not afford to pay her and reclaim furlough pay, so had to end her employment.

The club, in Valley Road, was forced to close on March 20 due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

Miss Davis, who was paid £625 a month, was given her P45 three days later.

Despite having worked at the centre since 2007, Miss Davis was given no notice by her employer.

As she had worked there for more than 12 years she was entitled to 12 weeks’ notice.

Miss Davis took Clacton Snooker Centre to an employment tribunal, which was held at East London Hearing Centre.

Employment Judge Paul Housego said: “Miss Davis is entitled to a redundancy payment because the dismissal was wholly or mainly attributable to the fact that the requirements of that business had ceased or diminished.

“Miss Davis thinks that Stephen Anderson is not in the UK, but in Greece, where she thinks he has a home.

“She says, and I accept, that he told her that he could not furlough her as he did not have the money to pay her salary even though he could reclaim it from the Government.

“Miss Davis does not think that she can find Mr Anderson, and that even if she could there is no chance of his company paying her the money she is due by reason of this judgment.”

He added: “If the respondent does not pay the redundancy payment Miss Davis may apply to the Secretary of State for it to be paid by the Government, even if the respondent has not been declared insolvent.”

Miss Davis also claimed that she should have received either holiday pay or sickness pay for absence in November 2019 when she was away from work, having had an operation.

Judge Housego ordered the business to pay to Miss Davis £1,730 in respect of notice pay and a redundancy payment of £2,812, but the claim for holiday pay was dismissed.

The respondent did not attend the hearing and sent no submissions.