What is the law about being laid off work?
In the UK there is a difference between being laid off and made redundant. Being laid off is often a temporary measure because an employer does not have enough work, it is often paid too. Either way, in the UK you have statutory rights as a minimum. So if you don’t have a contract defining your notice period then the statutory would apply, paid in lieu if you are not required to work it. First of all have a look at www.direct.gov.uk under the employment section, search for notice pay. Then contact ACAS for advice as, depending on how long you have worked for the company, and if you are permanently being released from the company’s employment, they may not have followed the correct procedure – i.e. redundancy. If you have been made redundant you would also be entitled to redundancy payment if you have worked for the company for 2 years or more.
