Dismissal of an Employee or Workforce Representative
Key points § Employee and workforce representatives appear in a variety of situations involving negotiations or consultations with employers. Thus, an employer is legally bound to consult appropriate representatives when planning 20 or more redundancies or when proposing the sale or transfer of his (or her) business (or part of the business) or the purchase of another business (and is liable to heavy penalties for failing to do so). § The term 'appropriate representatives', in the context of collective redundancies and business transfers, means trade union appointed representatives or, where there is no trade union representation, employees elected by their peers to represent their interests. If there are no elected employee representatives, the employer must allow sufficient time, and provide appropriate facilities, for the election of those employees who have put their names forward as candidates (per sections 188 and 188A of the Trade Union & Labour Relations (Conso...