The Guardian reports today that 100,000 public sector workers face the prospect of losing jobs by spring with a series of warning letters of redundancy to be issued by the end of the year.
This is bound to lead to some form of litigation which will hurt the taxpayer, the employer and the employee.
The question can this pain be mitigated, and is it worthwhile?
It must be worthwhile on financial terms if the result of the redundancy is litigation is a Tribunal Claim, a Tribunal claim which may lead to a finding of unfair dismissal.
It can be worthwhile to the employee. Forget all the hype. Most Tribunal claims end in the winning parties being mentally scarred. Sometimes you have to litigate, but litigation should be a last resort.
It can be worthwhile for organisational health as an organisation which can have a baseline position of serving employers and employees ethically will have a moral compass.
The fundamental problem of these redudancies,and indeed any is the self serving interests of all the parties. The government needs to cut and ethics is an afterthought, the managers are self absorbed and the employee is self interested. Meanwhile trade unions like to poster.
And the loser is everyone.
If you have to make someone redundant, you have to do it. But too often you may not have to do it and the way the parties do it is flawed.
Can the parties do any better?
Justin Patten
Mediator