Employers urged to avoid job cuts

UNION and business leaders are urging employers to exhaust all possible alternatives before making redundancies as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

The TUC and CBI have joined forces with the conciliation service Acas to issue guidance to help firms and workers deal with job losses.

A statement said alternatives often emerge from effective consultation with workers and trade unions.

“Challenges to working practices, disrupted supply chains and weakening demand are leading many employers to consider redundancy as the only survival option.

“Faced with making quick decisions in a fragile economic environment, it can feel as if there are no good answers. No one wants to deliver bad news and losing people or being made redundant is traumatic, especially for workers and their families.

“We know that times are tough and that as a last resort employers may make redundancies, but our message is that employers should exhaust all possible alternatives before making redundancies,” the statement said.

Considerations to help protect jobs have included a move to part-time working, cuts to overtime, alternative roles, and retraining.

“When employers, unions and employee representatives work together, solutions can often result in retaining loyal skilled staff, and help avoid the costs of redundancy, employment tribunals and recruitment when the economy recovers,” said the statement.