Acas guidance: How to manage collective redundancies

New Acas guidance directed at employers, How to manage collective redundancies, was published in April 2013. It includes a sample redundancy procedure suggesting the following areas for consultation:

• commitment to keep local trade unions/employee reps informed as fully as possible about staffing requirements and any need for redundancies;

• how long consultation is to last;

• who is to be consulted;

• what must be discussed;

• how the consultation should be conducted, focusing on the spirit of the consultation, with a view to reaching agreement, and including a commitment to consider alternative proposals;

• what statutory information must be provided;

• additional areas on which to consult, including:

• the effect on earnings, where a transfer or down-grading is accepted to avoid redundancy;

• arrangements for travel, removal and related expenses where a new role is on a different site;

• arrangements for reasonable time off with pay to look for jobs or arrange training;

• help with job hunting;

• arrangements to transfer apprenticeships.

• measures to avoid redundancy, including:

◊ natural wastage;

◊ restricting recruitment of permanent staff;

◊ reducing use of agency workers;

◊ filling vacancies from among existing staff;

◊ reducing overtime;

◊ reducing hours e.g. by short-time working;

◊ training, retraining and redeployment.

www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/c/n/How-to-manage-collective-redundancies.pdf