Job cuts after terrorist attack may lead to unfair dismissal claims

Travel
companies that have used the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US as an
excuse to get rid of unwanted staff could be vulnerable to unfair dismissal
claims, an employment law specialist has warned.

Maureen
Singleton, of Leeds-based solicitors Brooke North, said she has been approached
by a number of people who have lost their jobs over recent weeks and wish to
pursue cases against their former employees.

Singleton
advised employers to be careful that when they make people redundant they do
not breach UK employment law. She said, "I have a real concern that bosses
in the travel industry are going to use 11 September  as a vehicle to get rid of people and dress it up in a way that
looks like a redundancy when it is an unfair dismissal.

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"A
lot of people are now making mass redundancies without going through the proper
consultation procedures. I have a genuine concern that objective criteria have
not been adopted in selecting the appropriate staff for redundancies."

By Ben Willmott