I’m interested in views on the interaction of the new statutory disciplinary procedures with an employers obligations during times of redundancy.

Accepted good practice is to give employees notification of redundancy as the precursor to consultation, this is then followed by actual notice of dismissal. Notification is, in my experience, normally in writing but does not have to be so. Notice must be in writing. My practice in the past has been to apply this process whether it is an individual redundancy or part of a wider exercise. I have also as a matter of course given the right to appeal against a redundancy decision.

Under the new rules the ACAS guide explicitly states that the new procedure applies except where redundancies are part of a collective group. What follows from this in terms of the procedure to be followed?

What do readers think will be the implications for the management of redundancies if individuals now have the right to be accompanied at all stages of the process? Has anyone rewritten their redundancy procedures in any way to take account of the new regulations?

I would be interested to hear some views.

Quentin Colborn