The current economic downturn has brought redundancy law and associated workers’ rights sharply into focus. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that over 150,000 people lost their jobs through redundancies in the three months to July 2011 – the largest quarterly increase since August 2009. The figures also incorporate the largest fall in public sector employment since 1999 and the trend is set to continue.

With this in mind, the Labour Research Department has revisited its guide to redundancy law, which lays out key legislation in this crucial area. Intended to help union representatives and others dealing with redundancy to ensure they have a thorough and up-to-date understanding of the law and best practice, the guide covers all areas of redundancy law, from the definition of a redundancy situation to the circumstances in which employers have a duty to consult trade union or other employee representatives.

Workers’ rights are clearly and concisely explained in relation to:

• Selection for redundancy
• Individual and collective consultation
• Offers of alternative work
• Redundancy pay, insolvency, taxation and benefits
• Lay-offs and short-time working
• Employers’ obligations to offer alternative employment.

Besides enabling reps to point to the specific sections of employment law that confer redundancy-related rights, Redundancy law: A Practical Guide also contains a wealth of relevant case law to indicate how courts and tribunals have interpreted the legislation.

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