The claimants were employed at various farms and suffered exploitative conditions. They worked extremely long hours, were paid less than minimum wage and no attempt was ever made to pay them holiday pay or overtime.

The central issue in the case centred on a director’s liability for inducing a breach of contract by the company. The long-established principle states that directors attract no liability if acting bona fide within the scope of their authority. However, where a breach involves what the court termed a ‘statutory element’ then this may suggest a failure to comply with duties owed to the company and, by extension, to employees.

In the present case the court was satisfied that the directors of the company