Surge in redundancies could lead to spike in claims against employers
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, concerns about unemployment are hitting an all-time high. From March to July, the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits more than doubled and the number of employees on payrolls in the UK fell by nearly three quarters of a million.
Despite the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, there has already been a surge in redundancies which could in turn lead to a rise in claims for unfair dismissal or discrimination. To avoid the stress and expense of taking complaints before an employment tribunal, employees may have the option to sign a Settlement Agreement.
If you have lost your job, you may have been offered a settlement agreement by your employer and so will need to get independent legal advice. To ease any concerns you may have, Harding Evans’ head of Employment Law, Daniel Wilde, answers some of the most common queries around settlement agreements.