PLUMBING tycoon Charlie Mullins has said that “the tables have turned” in favour of employers after a tribunal rejected a worker’s claim for backdated holiday pay.

The Supreme Court ruled last year that Pimlico Plumber Gary Smith was a worker entitled to employment rights, rather than a self-employed contractor.

Mr Smith had taken a claim for holiday pay that was estimated to be worth £74,000 over six years.

However, the employment tribunal rejected his case yesterday.

The decision prompted Pimlico Plumbers chief executive Charlie Mullins to say that “the tables have been turned” in his favour.

Mr Smith’s lawyer, Jacqueline McGuigan of TMP Solicitors, said that the case was lost on a technicality, and that the case will be brought back to court for an appeal.

She added: “The case puts the spotlight on the law on holiday pay rights and has extremely important implications for the gig economy.”