One in five East Midlands employers likely to make redundancies in the year ahead

Nearly one in five employers in the East Midlands are likely to make staff redundancies in the year ahead, according to a new survey.
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The new study, commissioned by workplace experts Acas and carried out by YouGov, shows 18 per cent of businesses based in the East Midlands are likely to make redundancies in the next 12 months.

Louise Lenton, Acas area director said: “Global events over the past few years have thrown up difficult challenges for some businesses and our poll reveals that nearly one in five of them in the East Midlands are likely to make redundancies in the next 12 months.

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“Our advice is that bosses should exhaust all possible alternatives to redundancies first, but if employers feel like they have no choice then they must follow the law in this area, or they could be subject to a costly legal process.”

New study reveals nearly 1 in 5 East Midlands employers are likely to make redundancies in the year ahead (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)New study reveals nearly 1 in 5 East Midlands employers are likely to make redundancies in the year ahead (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
New study reveals nearly 1 in 5 East Midlands employers are likely to make redundancies in the year ahead (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
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If an employer finds there are no other choices than to make redundancies, then there are strict rules on consulting staff that they must follow.

An employer must discuss any planned changes and consult with each employee who could be affected. This includes staff who may not be losing their jobs but will be impacted.

The minimum consultation period varies depending on the number of employees that an employer wishes to make redundant. By law, employers who wish to make 20 or more staff redundant over any three-month (90 day) period must also consult a recognised trade union or elected employee representatives about the proposed changes.

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For 20 to 99 redundancies, consultation must start at least 30 days before the first dismissal can take effect, and for 100 or more redundancies, it has to start at least 45 days before. For less than 20 redundancies, there are no set time periods but the length of consultation must be reasonable.

If an employer does not meet consultation requirements, employees can take their employer to an employment tribunal. Someone can also make a claim of unfair dismissal to an employment tribunal on the grounds that they were not consulted, or the consultation was not meaningful.

Employers should consider all possible options before considering redundancies.

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