The claimant was making a claim for a redundancy payment, holiday pay and notice pay. He formed a company in 1987 and as the company grew he became one of a number of directors and kept this position until it became insolvent in 2012. He argued that for period of 20 years up until 2012 he was continually employed by the company.

The tribunal stated from the outset that the issue of whether the claimant was an employee pursuant to The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 must be decided before considering any issues as to whether he merited any payment from the Department for Employment and Learning. The Tribunal held that the claimant was not an employee. The