Brexit and Your Job

A lot has been written about the impact on jobs both before and after the recent referendum in which 52% of voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.

Much of what has been written, quite frankly, has been nonsense. There has also been a lot of estimates and guess work. From what I have seen, very little has been said about how the decision will impact employees right now.

What is the Impact on Your Job?

In short, the immediate answer is nothing.

Although European law underpins a lot of employment laws in this county (see here), the referendum has not resulted in any changes to the law. For now, and at the very least another two years, we remain a part of the European Union.

An exit will not occur until formal notification of the intention to leave is given by a Prime Minister which will lead to two years of negotiations. David Cameron has already confirmed that he will leave this for his successor who is not expected to be known until October. Even if a future Prime Minister serves this notification, it is likely to be considerably longer before any government begins scaling back on workers’ rights which stem from Europe. We would be surprised if any exit resulted in wholesale changes to unfair dismissal or discrimination law.

My Employer has said there could be Redundancies

Whilst the legal landscape remains unchanged, the immediate impact on the exchange rate and the markets could mean that some business find themselves in a difficult position financially. This could put some jobs at risk, particularly in businesses which trade a lot in foreign currencies.

There are strictly defined circumstances by which your employer could make you redundant. One of three situations must arise:

1. The business in which you work is ceasing to trade;
2. The place where you work is being closed;
3. The employer needs fewer people carrying out work of a particular kind

If none of these three circumstances arise and you are made redundant, you may be entitled to claim for unfair dismissal.

If one of the three circumstance do arise, the employer may be entitled to make you redundant however they must follow a fair process which ensures that the people who are selected are chosen after an objective assessment. If you consider that you have been selected for reasons unrelated to your performance such as favouritism or discrimination, again you may be entitled to pursue a claim.

The Referendum and Discrimination

The referendum result changes nothing as far as discrimination issues are concerned. This means that if you have suffered ill treatment at the hands of an employer or a colleague on any of the following grounds, you may be entitled to pursue a claim:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender
Pregnancy and Maternity
• Political Views
• Race
• Religion
• Sex
• Sexual Orientation

If you are concerned about Brexit and your job, if your employer has discussed redundancies or indeed if you have suffered discrimination in any form, please reply to this email and we will give you a call. Alternatively, you can call us on 0808-1687288.

Please remember that we offer a FREE, no obligation consultation in which we will discuss your individual situation and advise you of your rights.

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About Us

Employment Law Solicitors Belfast & Newcastle
Paul Doran Law - The Solicitors For
Employees In Belfast And Newcastle

Employment Law Solicitors Belfast & Newcastle
Paul Doran Law - The Soklicitors For Employees In Belfast And Newcastle

Paul Doran Law are employment law specialists who only act for employees and claimants who find themselves in dispute with their employees. we specialise in assisting employees to ensure that we can obtain the best results for you.

Our solicitors are admitted to the roll in England and Wales and we can act for clients in the Employment Tribunals in Northern Ireland and Scotland.