Originally published in People Management, 8th August
2011.
Bird v Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust
The EAT considers the tricky issue of redundant
employees' refusal of suitable alternative employment
Handling redundancy can be daunting for both employers and
employees. There may be a substantial redundancy payment involved
and the dismissal could lead to an unfair dismissal claim.
There is a requirement for employers and redundant employees
to consider suitable alternative employment. An employee's
unreasonable refusal of alternative work could mean an employer
does not have to make a redundancy payment. The Employment Appeal
Tribunal (EAT) recently had to consider these issues in the case of
Bird v Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust.
