The last seven months have been some of the hardest ever faced by the charity sector. While the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has supported jobs, all prudent boards of trustees have inevitably been focused on reevaluating their staffing needs in the light of reduced budgets and changed or restricted ways of delivering charitable services. This article answers some of the key questions trustees ought to be thinking about if they are forced to cut jobs.

What are the key provisions of employment law that charities must be aware of when carrying out a restructuring involving job cuts?

Any employees with more than two years of continuous service will be protected by both unfair dismissal and redundancy legislation. Compensatory awards for unfair dismissal can be up to the lower of 12 months’ remuneration or £88,519, which means it is vital that trustees follow a fair process when making staff redundant.