An employment tribunal has ruled in favour of seven former Chatloop employees for unpaid wages awarding more than £70,000, Prolific North can confirm.
In a written judgment seen by Prolific North, Employment Judge Batten found against Chatloop on seven claims for unauthorised deduction of wages between January and March 2025. The individual awards totalled £72,524.
The tribunal also found that two other claimants had been paid outstanding wages and did not rule in their favour. A further two other claims will be dealt with at another hearing, according to the tribunal documents.
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It’s the latest in a string of county court and tribunal blows for the Manchester tech pioneer. Separately, as first reported earlier this month, a further case involving Chatloop is progressing after correspondence from a tribunal indicated a judge was preparing a Rule 22 default judgment because the company did not file an ET3 response in time. Under the Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024, where no valid ET3 is submitted by the deadline, a tribunal may issue a default judgment.
Chatloop has been approached for comment. CEO Andrew Barlow reiterated his stance saying Chatloop has a policy of not commenting on “ongoing or resolved disputes.” He has previously said: “Like many growing businesses, we’ve faced challenges and continue to strengthen how we operate while delivering for customers. I remain fully engaged as CEO, focused on momentum and building long-term value.”
The latest ruling follows a string of tribunal outcomes involving the company reported by Prolific North, including judgments earlier this year and a remedy hearing listed for October in another case. In June, a tribunal found various complaints against Chatloop to be ‘well-founded’. In May, a separate decision also went in favour of a former employee. Chatloop is also facing mounting civil liabilities, with five county court judgments (CCJs) recorded against the company this year.
Founded in Manchester, Chatloop previously raised £2.1m in seed funding and is among a small number of UK apps approved by Apple as a default browser.
