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Introduction

The question of suitable alternative employment arises when an employee who has been made redundant is offered, before his original contract comes to an end, a renewed or new contract for employment by the same employer or an associated employer but on different terms and conditions, starting within four weeks of his dismissal.

If the employee accepts the offer of employment on different terms and conditions, the question of its suitability never arises. He is simply considered not to have been dismissed by reason of redundancy and so is not entitled to a statutory redundancy payment. If the employee has been in the group of affected employees in a collective redundancy situation, the employer’s obligations towards him regarding information, consultation and time off to look for other work are unchanged up to the time he accepts the alternative employment offer.

Employees cannot maintain their rights to redundancy payments simply by refusing any alternative work that is offered to them. An employee cannot unreasonably turn down alternative work if it: