Clearly I’m in the wrong business – lap dancer Nadine Quashie recently issued a claim for unfair dismissal compensation for a staggering £200,000! That figure included an allowance for her nightly earnings of a cool £1000. The success, or otherwise, of her unfair dismissal claim, depending on whether or not she was actually an employee. The contract she signed with Stringfellows included provisions banning her from working elsewhere as a lapdancer, instructing her on what to wear (or presumably what not to wear) and compelled her to give free naked lap dances to anyone the owners chose. Fortunately for Stringfellows, the employment tribunal concluded she was self-employed and, as a result, the claim that she had been unfairly dismissed failed.
This is not merely a gratuitous efforts to spice up my blog by talking about lap dancing – there is actually a lesson to be learned for employers – if you do want to hire someone on a self employed basis, do consider every aspect of your arrangement with them, especially any restrictions you would like to impose.