Illness from work ‘should not be a basis for redundancy’

Posted 16/09/2009

Companies have been warned against selecting workers for redundancy because they have been ill, as it may cause them to fall foul of employment law.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has stated that sacking a worker for having taken sick leave for a long-term illness can be classed as a form of disability discrimination.

As a result, doing so can leave them open to compensation claims for unfair dismissal.

This comes after the Office for National Statistics revealed that 107,000 more workers have been made redundant so far this year than at the same point in 2008 as a result of the economic downturn.

Mike Emmott, adviser of public policy at the CIPD, stated that although it was “understandable” that firms are attempting to increase their productivity during the recession, it is nevertheless vital that they heed employment law.

He said: “Just taking sick leave isn’t and shouldn’t be a basis for redundancy.”