Dismissal, redundancy and grievance
Work is a big part of our lives. So when things go wrong at work, or you lose your job, it can be extremely stressful and disruptive.
Either you or your boss can terminate your employment contract by giving the agreed amount of notice. But your employer can only let you go if they have a lawful reason, and they must follow a fair procedure.
Your employer should also have a 'grievance procedure', which is a formal way of dealing with problems you have at work.
But when things go wrong at work, the best protection is to be a member of a union. If you think you're being badly treated or have been unfairly dismissed, your union will step in to help.
If you're not already a member, you can use our Union Finder tool to work out which union is the best fit for you.
This section will outline the different kinds of dismissal and grievance procedures. But it shouldn’t be taken as legal or financial advice. Employment law is complex and every case is different. Before taking any action, seek individual advice from your union or a qualified adviser.
If you decide to take your case to an employment tribunal, you’ll need to act quickly, because deadlines in the tribunal are very short.
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This notice must be at least equivalent to the statutory minimum notice, which is a week for each year of service up to a maximum of twelve weeks’ notice after twelve years’ service - unless you behave so badly that the employer is entitled to end the contract immediately – so called “summary” dismissal, for gross misconduct.