Redundancy Solicitors for Employees

Redundancy Compensation

Our experienced Redundancy Solicitors understand that being made redundant can cause enormous stress. We strongly recommend early legal advice from an expert employment law solicitor.

What is Redundancy?

You can only be made redundant if you are dismissed because a job role in your employer’s business is disappearing. If you have been employed for more than one year you have a statutory right not to be unfairly dismissed. The onus is on your employer to show that a dismissal is for a fair reason and one such fair reason is for a true redundancy. Even if you are being dismissed because of redundancy your employer must still follow a fair procedure to select you. If the employer falls down on its procedure you can claim unfair dismissal. 

Do I qualify for Redundancy Compensation?

To qualify for a redundancy payment, an employee must have been both ‘dismissed’ and on the basis of ‘redundancy’. Workers being made redundant can claim the minimum lump sum redundancy compensation payment, although some have greater entitlement under their employment contract. You are entitled to minimum statutory redundancy payment if:
 
  • You have been made redundant.
  • You have 2 years continuous service since the age of 18.
  • You are an employee.
  • There is no suitable alternative employment for you. However, if you unreasonably refuse an offer of suitable alternative employment, you lose your statutory redundancy pay.

I have been offered a sum to go quietly

Our Employment Solicitors are aware that sometimes employers offer increased redundancy compensation payments to secure agreement from employees to leave employment and not make a subsequent claim. You may be asked to sign a compromise agreement. You should always seek legal advice before signing a compromise  agreement as you are signing away your legal rights including the  right to claim for unfair dismissal . For more information visit our specialist Compromise Agreement Solicitors website
 

My employer has sold the business -  the new employer wants to make me redundant

Special rules apply if there is a business transfer. Being made redundant in connection with the transfer either by your new employer, or by your old Employer reducing staff prior to sale, counts as automatic unfair dismissal.
 

Unfair Redundancy Dismissal

There are other situations where a redundancy becomes an unfair dismissal including:
 
  • If the redundancy is not real, e.g. a direct replacement is recruited immediately after the employee has been made redundant.
  • You were not consulted properly before being made redundant. Employees ust normally be notified in writing by the employer in advance of the likely redundancy and be invited to a meeting to discuss the situation.
  • You are unfairly selected: the basis of choosing you as the employee to lose your job is not justified objectively as being fair and in accordance with employment law. Consideration is usually given to issues including time-keeping, length of service, productivity and future requirements of the employer.
  • Failure to offer suitable alternative employment. Employers must consider whether there is suitable alternative employment within the business available to those workers being considered for redundancy. Full details should be provided by the employer of any alternative positions and the employee should be allowed a trial period if the new job is very different from the old one. Whether alternative employment is suitable depends on issues including the nature of the old job and the new one being offered. Employees unreasonably refusing an offer of suitable alternative employment lose their statutory redundancy pay and their chances of winning an unfair dismissal claim (or receiving full compensation if they do win) is significantly reduced.

This list is not exhaustive – for more information, visit our specialist Unfair Dismissal Compensation website or contact our Employment  Solicitors.

How long do I have to make my claim?

A redundancy compensation claim to an Employment Tribunal must be made within 3 months of the date of dismissal. This time limit is very strict and if you miss the deadline you will normally be unable to make a redundancy claim
 

What statutory redundancy pay am I entitled to?

Workers are entitled to a written statement showing how their redundancy pay was calculated. Minimum statutory redundancy pay is calculated as follows:
  • 1½ week's pay for every year of continuous service when the worker was over 41 years old.
  • 1 week's pay for every year of continuous service when they were over 22 and under 41.
  • ½ week's pay for each year of continuous service under 22 years old.

The maximum number of years to count is 20. Weekly pay is subject to a maximum of £330 [as at 1st February 2008]. The current maximum redundancy compensation is therefore £9,900.

Contact our Redundancy Solicitors today

If you are being made redundant, or are unsure if you have an compensation claim, contact us today for legal advice from an expert Redundancy Solicitor in our Salisbury, Andover, Verwood or Amesbury offices.

Our employment law solicitors provide legal advice to both employers and employees on Redundancy Compensation throughout Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset and further afield . We also regularly represent clients in redundancy compensation cases in Fordingbridge, Frome, Westbury, Bournemouth, Poole, Wimbourne, Sherborne, Warminster, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Ringwood and Romsey.

 
 
 
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Redundancy Team

For expert legal advice from our Salisbury, Verwood or Andover offices, contact our Redundancy Solicitors:

Salisbury  Office
Nigel Mills 
View Redundancy Solicitor profile
tel: Salisbury (01722) 422300
email: Nigel Mills