Man who built up 827 days of holiday handed £400,000 payout after being sacked

James Saunders
Sat, 11 Apr 2026 03:17:55 +0000

A 74-year-old property manager has won a huge six-figure payout after being sacked - with 827 days of holiday still unused.

Mossadek "Moss" Ageli accumulated more than three years of holiday time over decades of work for Sabtina, a property management firm.

An employment tribunal in Watford ordered the company to pay approximately £392,000 for the untaken leave.

Mr Ageli also received £105,000 in compensation after successfully claiming unfair dismissal.

He had joined Sabtina in 1987, starting as a deputy managing director before becoming commercial manager.

The firm was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Libyan Foreign Investment Company, while he worked from offices in both London and Milton Keynes.

But throughout his tenure, the firm repeatedly refused to let him take time off due to staffing shortages.

His starting holiday entitlement stood at 30 days per year.

Between 1987 and 1989, he took no leave whatsoever.

The tribunal heard that only Mr Ageli and his personal assistant worked full-time at the company during this time.

Both employees needed to be present constantly for the business to operate.

The severe understaffing meant taking time off was simply not possible.

Company directors turned down 200 of his holiday requests between 1988 and 1996.

Despite these refusals, his annual entitlement was increased from 30 to 45 days by the end of that period.

EMPLOYMENT RULINGS - READ MORE:

Questioning colleague about menopause is 'not harassment' or 'inherently offensive', tribunal rules

Woman wins £7k payout from cancer hospital after she complained her anxiety affected her ability to give concise answers

Warehouse worker sacked for 'faking bad back' when he was caught dancing wins £30k compensation

By 1998, Mr Ageli recognised he would never be able to use his leave, and reached an arrangement with directors to receive a payout instead.

"After years of doing this, it was agreed that there was no need to send any future paperwork for approval or denial and I simply kept a record of my holiday entitlement," he told the tribunal.

The company provided no pension scheme.

Mr Ageli explained that he and his PA "were saving the holidays we could not have for when needed or at retirement".

Payments of £15,000 were made in both 2001 and 2004, confirming the arrangement existed.

The agreement remained in place for decades without issue - but a new board of directors took over in 2022.

They demanded proof that the payment arrangement had been formally agreed, and gradually stripped Mr Ageli of his responsibilities.

In 2024, the company dismissed him for alleged gross misconduct, which he disputes.

The firm also refused to pay him for the 827 holiday days he had built up since 1998.

Mr Ageli took legal action against his former employer, and now, Judge George Alliott has ruled in his favour, finding that Sabtina "did not have a genuine belief" that he had committed gross misconduct.