Dec 13 2008
Fighting Redundancy (UK)
The Guardian newspaper has a very interesting article on redundancy, in particular they say it is possible to fight the decision on certain grounds. One of these is age discrimination. The UK government passed legislation in 2006 against age discrimination, which means that your employer can no longer get rid of you simply because you are old. They have to get rid of you on merit (i.e. the job is being eliminated, they are treating you in exactly the same way as younger employees etc). But there are some employers who don’t realise that the rules have changed.
If you are an older worker and are in this situation, it is worth reading the Guardian article (linked to above), as it may help you fight to keep your job. If you belong to a union, it might be worth contacting them as well. If you don’t, consider visiting your local Citizens Advice Bureau - they usually have legal staff attached to them who can give you free advice.
