Self-employed Taxi Driver dismissed (Money owed)

[1960darrenh]

I have recently been working as a Self - Employed Taxi Driver for a local company. I was dismissed for different reasons. My last week of working I was owed �180 wages from the company. I have been told by them that I will not receive a penny. They also have some of my property which they are refusing to return too. Does anyone know of the best way to get this money etc back? Small Claims Court maybe?

[themas]

You say you were self-employed but then say you are owed wages. These two things are normally incompatible - wages are paid to employees; self-employed people get paid for work done, normally against an invoice or something similar.

If you really were self-employed then claiming the money is probably a matter of the small claims process - look at Courts Service web site for details. If you were an employee - and this could legally be the situation even if you and the firm both think you were not - then you would have to follow a grievance procedure and then go to an Employment Tribunal. You might also have a claim for unfair dismissal (depending on how long you worked there and the reasons for dismissal). It could be worth a call to ACAS to enquire about this.