New Rules For Notifying Collective Redundancies To Government

22 September 2006
NEW RULES FOR NOTIFYING COLLECTIVE REDUNDANCIES TO GOVERNMENT
The Department for Employment and Learning today announced changes in the way collective redundancy notifications must be made.
From 8 October 2006, businesses proposing to make collective redundancies (i.e. where 20 or more employees are to be made redundant) must notify the relevant public authority before redundancy notices are issued to staff. At present, notification can be made after the issue of redundancy notices.
The new Regulations address a European Court of Justice decision in the case of Junk-v-Kuhnel, which clarified that notification of redundancies to public authorities must take place before redundancy notices are issued.
A spokesperson for the Department said: "This amendment will ensure that notification of collective redundancies to the Government will occur earlier, enabling the relevant authorities to take appropriate action to mitigate the effects on those concerned."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Collective Redundancies (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 come into operation on 8 October 2006. Copies of the legislation are available from The Stationery Office, Arthur Street, Belfast. ISBN 0-337-96638-9, priced Ł3.00.
2. The Regulations will amend Article 221 of the Employment Rights (NI) Order 1996.
3. Currently, collective redundancies must be notified to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment. In 2005, 64 employers proposed making collective redundancies, compared to 53 in 2004 and 91 in 2003.
4. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025.

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