Employment law is a hot topic surrounding the UK media at the moment. There is a lot of talk regarding what can be regarded as unfair dismissal and rightly so. It is important to know your rights as a worker in the UK; however, it is just as important to know what counts as a fair dismissal.
A fair dismissal is the means by which a company can terminate your current employment contract legally and fairly. There are a handful of situations where this type of action may be applicable, so read on to find out the different reasons that constitute a fair dismissal in the UK.
Redundancy in the employment industry has the exact same meaning as in the real world. Being made redundant means that your current job role is no longer necessary; therefore, a company is no longer going to pay you to do a job that is no longer of any purpose to them.
There is a process involved in making an employee redundant. First, the employee must be informed, and receive a consultation where the company lays out the reasons for their decision, there is a window where the employee can appeal the decision, and the final termination process. A company is also expected to offer an employee redundancy pay, as it is not their fault that they are now jobless. Redundancy pay in the UK includes weekly full pay for a full year, but this pay agreement is halved each week if the employee is over forty-one years of age. These are the UK’s legal redundancy requirements when it comes to a fair dismissal.
General illness is not a reason for a fair dismissal so there is no need to worry. However, there are times when a pro-longed illness could prevent you from doing your job for a long time. In cases like this, a company must support you in any way they can and make the appropriate adjustments to make you comfortable at work. If this is not possible then you may have to go through the redundancy procedures mentioned above.
This process will only occur if you have been given enough time to get well naturally, and returning to work in your normal capacity is a possibility. It is illegal for any company in the UK to fire an employee on the grounds of disability, so you may want to contact employment law consultancy services to learn more. However, it is still important to know that illness is still grounds for fair dismissal in the UK under the right circumstances.
Poor performance translates to the inability to do your job correctly. This means that you do not meet the criteria laid out in your current employment contract such as not fulfilling your contracted hours, not hitting performance targets, or not getting along with other colleagues. A lot of companies will have disciplinary procedures in place before dismissal is necessary.
Employment law is a tricky subject, but there is always advice out there if you need it. However, it is still important to know what counts as fair dismissal in the UK.
