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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the law on redundancy is unfair

69 replies

NameChange30 · 01/04/2015 20:42

If you have been working at an organisation for less than 2 years, they can make you redundant with just ONE MEASLY WEEK of notice and NO redundancy pay.

This is fucking unfair. I know I'm not being unreasonable. Which Government made this law?! It was the fucking Tories wasn't it?!

OP posts:
ChoudeBruxelles · 01/04/2015 20:43

Yes Tories. Really unfair.

WetAugust · 01/04/2015 20:48

I agree with you. We have far less protection than mnay of our European neighbours, such as France.

But the UK under Labour and the coalition has become a low skilled, low paid workforce whose employment rights are being eroded, who can be hired on zero hours contracts and who can be fired at ease.

Original poster
NameChange30 · 01/04/2015 20:51

I wouldn't be surprised if "New Labour" started it (bloody Blair) but I have no doubt the Tories have made it much worse.

OP posts:
ChaiseLounger · 01/04/2015 21:00

Yes I think it's unfair.

DisappointedOne · 01/04/2015 21:06

With less than 2 years service they could sack you for any non-discriminatory reason and you'd only be entitled to basic notice.

Cantbelievethisishappening · 01/04/2015 21:09

No doubt another reason why '100 businesses are backing Cameron'

PtolemysNeedle · 01/04/2015 21:10

I didn't know that. The notice period is unfair, but I think it's reasonable not to give redundancy pay if they give enough notice.

SummerSazz · 01/04/2015 21:11

I was made redundant after 16 years (14 full time). Payments based on my 2 days per week. That smarted Sad

Apologies.... Off topic a tad there...

Amummyatlast · 01/04/2015 21:13

It's been two years for a very long time, so while I don't know which govt introduced it, you can't really blame one of them without blaming the others for not changing it.

Eligibility for Redundancy pay is different to the 2 year eligibility requirement for unfair dismissal, which was changed by the coalition.

Koalafications · 01/04/2015 21:14

They don't need to make you redundant if you have served under two years. They can dismiss you for any reason they like (apart from anything that could be discriminatory).

Koalafications · 01/04/2015 21:15

The two year rule came into effect at around March 2012, I think.

Maycausesideeffects · 01/04/2015 21:24

What do you mean a low-skilled workforce? We have a growth in apprenticeships and a push on STEM subjects at school.

We are not a low-skilled work force

HermioneWeasley · 01/04/2015 21:27

It as 2 years for employment rights for a long time. It was then reduced to 1 year (presumably by the labour gov) and the conservatives put it back to 2 years. But the qualifying period for any redundancy pay being 2 years has been the same for decades.

Smarterthantheaveragebeaver · 01/04/2015 21:37

I dont understand the hysteria about zero hours contracts. Or casual labour, as it was known 25 years ago (when I was employed on this basis as a lifeguard for the local council). This type of employment has been around forever. It's nothing new. Why does Labour now think it should introduce more legislation to prevent it? I dont recall them being bothered about it before.

WetAugust · 01/04/2015 21:44

In 2014 63.8% of pupils gained 5 GCSE passes at grade A-C.

That means a whopping 36.2% failed to reach the Govt's stated target.

www.bstubbs.co.uk/5a-c.htm#table1

Apprenticeships pay as little as 2.17p an hour, which is utterly disagraceful.

chipsandpeas · 01/04/2015 21:47

The two year rule came into effect at around March 2012, I think.

thats just for employment rights like unfair dismissal - the 2 year redundancy has been around for a long time, i got made redundant in july 2004 and it was 2 years then

Koalafications · 01/04/2015 21:48

Sorry, chipsandpeas I was referring to my post above that which was in reference to unfair dismissal.

scrivette · 01/04/2015 21:57

Yes the two year qualifying period rule has been around for many many years. I started working in 1999 and it used then and I am sure that it was for a long time prior to that.

Original poster
NameChange30 · 01/04/2015 22:00

Well if it's been around for that long maybe we can get away with blaming Thatcher Wink

Anyway, no matter who introduced it, the notice period is way too short.

OP posts:
MrsNuckyThompson · 01/04/2015 22:09

Yep. Two years for redundancy pay has been around a long time. They can't sack you with less than your contractual notice which for many would be more than one week.

BreakWindandFire · 01/04/2015 22:11

It's not just redundancy. If you started work with your employer before 6 April 2012 you needed one year's service under your belt before you could claim unfair dismissal. The coalition changed it to 2 years. They also reduced the consultation periods for redundancy.

ShadowStone · 01/04/2015 22:15

One week? Really?

What if your employment contract you got when you started says you get a month's notice? Surely the notice period can't go down from what your contract says?

prepperpig · 01/04/2015 22:17

You are wrong about the notice period. Notice periods are nothing to do with redundancy. You are entitled to the greater of your contractual notice period or the statutory minimum notice period which is a week's notice for each complete year of employment up to a maximum of 12 weeks after 12 years. I'm an employment lawyer.

Justanotherlurker · 01/04/2015 22:24

Well if it's been around for that long maybe we can get away with blaming Thatcher

That's the spirit, ignore labours 13 years in power, after all isn't the meme that it wasn't a 'true' labour government anyway so we should ignore it?

With respect to your op, yes it isn't fair but there needs to be an arbitrary cut of point, where do you think this is?

In some jobs it takes a year to properly show that your capable of the job due to timescales/development etc

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 01/04/2015 22:27

It has been this way for years . Since at least 2000. Probably a lot longer. It isn't the fault of an individual government. Both have had long periods in power to change redundancy entitlements if they wanted to.