Redundancy is a form of dismissal and employers must follow a fair and lawful process. This usually includes:

• Identifying the business reason for redundancy
• Determining the appropriate pool of employees at risk
• Applying fair and objective selection criteria
• Consulting with affected employees (and collectively consulting where required)
• Considering suitable alternative employment within the organisation
• Confirming the redundancy in writing

Where 20 or more redundancies are proposed within a 90-day period, employers must follow statutory collective consultation rules. Failure to follow a fair process can result in claims for unfair dismissal.

Yes. Employees should normally be offered the right to appeal a redundancy decision.

An appeal may be appropriate where an employee believes:

• The redundancy selection criteria were unfair or incorrectly applied
• The consultation process was inadequate
• Suitable alternative roles were not properly considered
• The redundancy situation was not genuine

An appeal should be heard by someone not previously involved in the decision where possible.

You are entitled to statutory redundancy pay if you have been continuously employed for at least two years and are dismissed due to redundancy. The amount is calculated based on your age, length of service and weekly pay, up to statutory limits. Employers may also offer enhanced redundancy packages, which we can help you negotiate.