Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978

82 General exclusions from right to redundancy payment. E+W+S

[F1 (1) An employee shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment if he has before the relevant date attained the following age, that is to say—

(a) in a case where—

(i) in the business for the purposes of which he was employed there was a normal retiring age of less than sixty-five for an employee holding the position which he held, and

(ii) the age was the same whether the employee holding that position was a man or a woman,

that normal retiring age; and

(b) in any other case, the age of sixty-five.]

(2) Except as provided by section 92, an employee shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment by reason of dismissal where his employer, being entitled to terminate his contract of employment without notice by reason of the employee’s conduct terminates it either—

(a) without notice, or

(b) by giving shorter notice than that which, in the absence of such conduct, the employer would be required to give to terminate the contract, or

(c) by giving notice (not being such shorter notice as is mentioned in paragraph (b)) which includes, or is accompanied by, a statement in writing that the employer would, by reason of the employee’s conduct, be entitled to terminate the contract without notice.

(3) If an employer makes an employee an offer (whether in writing or not) before the ending of his employment under the previous contract to renew his contract of employment, or to re-engage him under a new contract of employment, so that the renewal or re-engagement would take effect either immediately on the ending of his employment under the previous contract or after an interval of not more than four weeks thereafter, the provisions of subsections (5) and (6) shall have effect.

(4) For the purposes of the application of subsection (3) to a contract under which the employment ends on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday—

(a) the renewal or re-engagement shall be treated as taking effect immediately on the ending of the employment under the previous contract if it takes effect on or before the next Monday after that Friday, Saturday or Sunday; and

(b) the interval of four weeks shall be calculated as if the employment had ended on that Monday.

(5) If an employer makes an employee such an offer as is referred to in subsection (3) and either—

(a) the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, as to the capacity and place in which he would be employed, and as to the other terms and conditions of his employment, would not differ from the corresponding provisions of the previous contract; or

(b) the first-mentioned provisions would differ (wholly or in part) from those corresponding provisions, but the offer constitutes an offer of suitable employment in relation to the employee;

and in either case the employee unreasonably refuses that offer, he shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment by reason of his dismissal.

(6) If an employee’s contract of employment is renewed, or he is re-engaged under a new contract of employment, in pursuance of such an offer as is referred to in subsection (3), and the provisions of the contract as renewed, or of the new contract, as to the capacity and place in which he is employed and as to the other terms and conditions of his employment, differ (wholly or in part) from the corresponding provisions of the previous contract but the employment is suitable in relation to the employee, and during the trial period referred to in section 84 the employee unreasonably terminates the contract, or unreasonably gives notice to terminate it and the contract is thereafter, in consequence, terminated, he shall not be entitled to a redundancy payment by reason of his dismissal from employment under the previous contract.

(7) Any reference in this section to re-engagement by the employer shall be construed as including a reference to re-engagement by the employer or by any associated employer, and any reference in this section to an offer made by the employer shall be construed as including a reference to an offer made by an associated employer.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 82(1) substituted (with saving) by Employment Act 1989 (c. 38, SIF 43:1), ss. 16(1), 29(6), Sch. 9 paras. 3, 4

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 82 modified by S.I. 1983/1160, art. 3, Sch. 2 para. 2

C2 S. 82 modified (13.1.1994) by S.I. 1993/3167, art. 3, Sch. 2 para.2

C3 S. 82(1) modified by Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51, SIF 81:1), s. 59(2) and Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40, SIF 41:1), ss. 178(2)(b), 231(7), 235(6)

S. 82(1) modified (3.4.1995) by 1994 c. 19, s. 44(4) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 para. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1995/852, art. 7, Sch. 3

C4 S. 82(3) modified by S.I. 1985/1846, reg. 5(5)

C5 S. 82(5)(6) modified by Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51, SIF 81:1), s. 53(5) and Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40, SIF 41:1), ss. 173(6), 231(7), 235(6)

S. 82(5)(6) modified (4.1.1995) by 1994 c. 39, ss. 7(2), 13(5)(6), 97(8), 137(5); S.I. 1994/2850, art. 3(a), Sch. 2

S. 82(5)(6) modified (3.4.1995) by 1994 c. 19, s. 43(6)(7) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1995/852, art. 7, Sch. 3