Demand for free and independent information on redundancy has risen over the past three months, according to the National Information Centre on Retirement Investments (NICRI).
The consumer organisation said employees were now more vulnerable as the job market tightens and, as a result, interest in redundancy information has increased significantly as the global financial crisis has forced employers to restructure and downsize their operations.
Wendy Schilg, director of NICRI, said gaining an understanding of rights and entitlements has prompted the increase in advice being sought. She said: “It is imperative that employees and employers fully understand the impacts and entitlements available if there is a chance of job losses at their workplace.
“While most of the callers have just wanted more information on redundancy, a small percentage have had specific problems — the most common of which has been understanding the components of termination payments and obtaining personal support.”
The issues regarding redundancy have come to light as a result of job losses across many industries including manufacturing and exports such as the automotive sector.
