CAT reduces penalties on agencies by 64%
The Competition Appeal Tribunal has reduced the fines imposed on six construction sector recruitment agencies by the OFT for price fixing by 64 per cent.
In a judgment handed down today a 拢39m fine levied across a total of six agencies was reduced to less than 拢14m, with the tribunal arguing that the OFT had taken a 鈥渕echanistic and artificially narrow formula鈥 in calculating the penalties concerned.
The reductions were as follows:
- Eden Brown: the original total penalty of 拢1,072,069 was varied to 拢477,750. (-55%)
- CDI AndersElite and CDI Corp: the original total penalty of 拢7,602,789 was varied to 拢1,543,500. (-80%)
- Hays, Hays Specialist Recruitment and Hays Specialist Recruitment (Holdings): the original total penalty of 拢30,359,129 was varied to 拢5,880,000. (-81%)
The tribunal ruled that whereas the OFT had determined the penalties on the basis of gross turnover, it should in fact have been a proportion of net fees.
However, it dismissed the challenge to the figure used by the OFT as its starting point that this should be based on 9 per cent of relevant turnover.
This follows recent news that the CAT has reduced fines imposed by the OFT on a number of construction companies for cover pricing by up to 94 per cent.
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