The UK Supreme Court has decided that the respondent employer in this case should have consulted the recognised trade union, the UCU, over the termination of fixed term contracts during a collective redundancy exercise. 

The law on collective redundancy consultation is different in NI from the rest of the UK and readers should treat other commentaries with care. However, the basic principles are the same - An employer which proposes to “dismiss as redundant” 20 or more employees at one establishment within a period of 90 days or less has an obligation to consult the appropriate representatives, usually a recognised trade union, of any of the employees who may be affected.

The question in this case was whether those