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Activities consisting of the supply of goods
[ch 12: page 382]TUPE will not apply to a contract wholly or mainly for the supply of goods. For example, TUPE will not apply to a change of contract simply to supply food to a company. This is a contract for the supply of goods. However, TUPE is likely to apply if the contractor is responsible for running the company’s canteen. This is a contract for the supply of services.
These limits were explored in the following case:
Assembly line workers supplying components to a vehicle manufacturer argued that their employment transferred when that manufacturer changed supplier, on the basis that they were supplying not goods but services. The services included, for example, checking that the goods were safe to use, and sourcing parts. The EAT disagreed, ruling that these services were only part of the employees’ overall responsibility which was for the supply of goods. As a result, their employment did not transfer.
Pannu v Geo W King Limited (in liquidation) [2011] UKEAT/0021/11/2112