Pimlico Plumbers has won the latest round in its legal battle with a former employee who claimed he is owed holiday pay, the company has announced.

The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has ruled the firm did not discriminate against Gary Smith and he is not entitled to any holiday pay, it said.

Pimlico Plumbers has been embroiled in the debate over the status of workers in the gig economy, with the Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that Mr Smith was entitled to working rights.

Pimlico said it had successfully defended the case at the EAT, which found in the company’s favour.

Charlie Mullins, founder and chairman of Pimlico, said: “Once again we have been proven to be in the right and Gary Smith’s claims have continued to fall on deaf ears with the EAT ruling that he is in fact not owed a penny by the company.

“This has been a long-running case and one that has attracted a huge amount of media attention, so I am extremely pleased that Pimlico has been completely vindicated by the EAT, and I hope that after almost a decade in the courts this case has finally been put to rest.

“I am very proud of what we have built in the 40-plus years we’ve been serving the people of London, and part of what I see as the winning Pimlico formula is the way we look after all our people as if they are part of the family.

“So when these unfounded allegations started being thrown around it hit us all very hard, which is why it feels so good today to have been completely, totally and publicly vindicated.

“It’s also been a constant thorn in my side that as a result of the press coverage of the case our plumbers, and other highly skilled tradesmen and women working for the company, have constantly and unhelpfully been compared with Uber drivers, and other low-wage delivery workers. This could not be further from the truth.

“The reality of the situation is that Pimlico’s skilled tradespeople are the best paid in the country bar none, able to earn six-figure salaries that provide them and their families with excellent lifestyles.”