Middlesborough Borough Council v TGWU: EAT 2002

The EAT discussed the need to focus on the seriousness of the employer’s default in complying with the mandatory obligation to consult employees before making redundancies: ‘The duties under the section are mandatory. It is not open to an employer, for this purpose, to argue, as would be open to him in defending a complaint of unfair dismissal by the individual employee, that consultation would, in the circumstances, be futile or utterly useless: see Polkey . . .’

Judges:

Judge Peter Clark

Citations:

[2002] IRLR 332

Jurisdiction:

England and Wales

Citing:

CitedPolkey v A E Dayton Services Limited HL 19-Nov-1987
Mr Polkey was employed as a driver. The company decided to replace four van drivers with two van salesmen and a representative. Mr Polkey and two other van drivers were made redundant. Without warning, he was called in and informed that he had been . .

Cited by:

ApprovedSusie Radin Ltd v GMB and others CA 20-Feb-2004
The company made redundancies but failed to carry out any effective or honest consultation. The tribunal awarded the maximum 90 days protective order. The company appealed saying that it had given the employees greater notice than was strictly due. . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

Employment

Updated: 25 November 2022; Ref: scu.194622