Meet Mr. Gophi

Providing legal education to Mr Gophi and the NGO supporting him to avoid further hardship

Mr. Gophi was working as a contract delivery rider when his wife fell ill with cancer. He was required to attend medical appointments with her during her treatment but the company terminated Mr. Gophi's 'Supplier Agreement', on account of alleged 'late deliveries'. Facing financial hardship at a difficult time, Mr. Gophi approached an NGO for help. They supported him with filing a Labour Department claim. No settlement was reached and the case was transferred to the Labour Tribunal.

The NGO approached Equal Justice 平義社 for help and information about Labour Tribunal proceedings. We advised them on how to prepare for the proceedings, what filings would be required, and reviewed documents, giving suggestions as to how to frame the issues, what facts were relevant, and which were not. Key was researching and articulating the law on the distinction between employees and independent contractors.

We also met with Mr. Gophi directly, helping to prepare his without prejudice settlement submissions, and liaised with the company’s solicitors to see if a settlement could be reached without the need to resort to a trial. Much to the delight of Mr. Gophi, a settlement was reached.