A Jersey nail salon has been ordered to pay more than £2,500 to a former employee after leaving her chasing a contract for six months while struggling to get income support… then giving her one based on the wrong law.
The worker first became a nail technician at Jasmine Nails in 2025, after the salon owner approached her, the Employment Tribunal was told in a hearing last week.
However, Sirirat Blaby – who started at below minimum wage, though this was later rectified through backdated pay – was not given a contract at the time.
Salon owner Fah Green told the Employment Tribunal that she did not issue a contract “because of her divorce process and the need to separate her former husband from the business”, saying her ex-husband did not think Miss Blaby should work at the salon.
Three months pass…
After three months without problem, Miss Blaby’s fourth payslip was a week late, just as she had pay deducted for study hours.
Miss Green told her this was “due to her not passing probation”, the Employment Tribunal heard, but Ms Blaby continued to work at the salon – full-time for a month before starting to do nails privately at home.
After six months working at the salon, Miss Green told Miss Blaby she “had not yet met the requirements” for a contract and that she had not passed her probation.
She added that if she did sign a contract she would not be able to do private work.
Continued chasing
Miss Blaby continued to chase her contract in messages, where “she says she has been promised holiday entitlement and fixed hours so she can plan her life”, the Tribunal recorded in its judgment.
“She is concerned about further deductions for training charges or making mistakes. She says she wants things clarified and set out in a contract. She points out that in January her working hours were changed from 9.30 am to 5 pm to 9.30 am to 2 pm.”
The next day, Miss Green told her she would extend her training agreement for another two months and has sent a contract to a lawyer. The Tribunal said this left Miss Blaby “understandably unhappy with the shifting goal posts”.
“Unacceptable”
Miss Blaby was then given what was described as an “unacceptable” contract with no guaranteed hours, restricting outside work, and referring to English and Welsh employment laws rather than Jersey’s.
Miss Blaby then resigned, citing Miss Green “being unprofessional, attacking her in messages, talking about her personal life” alongside the contract.
The Employment Tribunal told Jasmine Nails to pay Miss Blaby £1,261.02 for the lack of contract, which “created considerable uncertainty for her and affected her ability to claim income support”.
It awarded another £1,261.02 for the late pay slips, which “meant that Miss Blaby had to wait to reconcile her payment with the hours worked” and made it harder to claim income support.
The Tribunal, whose overall awards total £2,522.04, rejected claims for no notice pay and constructive dismissal.
