Unemployment Fears on the Rise in the UK

With the shape the economy is in and the number of companies that are downsizing, there is growing concern amongst workers in the UK that they will soon be without an income. In an effort to assuage these fears, employment partner at Irwin Mitchell, John Hayes, addressed a few of the most common questions.

One of the most common concerns amongst employees who fear losing their job is in regards to being dismissed without good reason after several years of employment at the same company. Hayes explains that an employer must give fair warning in order to give you a chance to challenge their decision.

Employees who feel they have been dismissed unfairly are actually able to go before the Employment Tribunal with a claim seeking a reasonable amount for loss of wages. Then there are those employees who want to know if they are entitled to redundancy pay even if they have been at their jobs for less than a year.

Hayes explains that employees are only eligible for statutory redundancy pay if they have been employed for two years or longer. However, he goes on to say that some employers in the private sector do grant redundancy no matter how long you have been employed but that is solely up to them.

Keep in mind that according to UK law, employers must act fairly when dismissing employees so that if you have been verifiably ill and under a doctor’s care, your employer isn’t supposed to dismiss you for that reason. The law clearly states that assessment should be based on job performance.

The final area of concern which Hayes addresses is in regards to enforced retirement. The new legislation, if enacted, will make it illegal for employers to force anyone into retirement at age 65 based on age. This is set to go into effect on 1 October 2011. Since the cut-off date for notification (30 March, 2011) is long since passed, if you haven’t been notified, you are no longer bound by compulsory retirement.

By understanding your rights you can better guard against being dismissed unfairly. UK laws are quite specific and if you feel that you are being treated unfairly by your employer it might just be time to contact an employment law firm to represent you in a claim.