When the first mention of Covid 19 was made in January no one could have foreseen the terrible consequences for the health and wellbeing of the nation – and also the health and wellbeing of the economy.

It does seem that job losses are inevitable, but Covid 19 does not mean that employers can simply tell an employee that he/she is no longer needed.

Provided you have sufficient service (and this varies depending on the reason for dismissal) you are still entitled to seek a remedy through the Employment Tribunal, either on the basis that your dismissal was unfair or that the process that ended in your redundancy was insufficient.

Whilst the cost of going to a Tribunal is seldom recovered from the employer there are ways that funding can be obtained either by the solicitor acting on a contingency fee basis or by utilising legal expenses insurance that may be on a contents insurance policy held by you.

Covid does not mean that employees are without remedies. The remedies are exactly the same.

Employers need to be sure that the process both for dismissal and redundancy are compliant with the legislation. For the want of proper procedure what could be a proper and unchallengeable redundancy or dismissal might turn out to be unfair. Better to check and do it correctly rather than take a risk.

Please contact Howard Nulty to arrange an appointment, call 01744 742360 or email info@sthelenslaw.co.uk.

Appointments can be arranged in the office from Monday 6 July and clients attending the office will be advised to wear a mask and social distancing will be observed. Appointments can also be arranged via online platforms, Zoom and Teams.