No redundancy pay is normal

Former employees of Event Cinemas are protesting at being laid off with only two weeks redundancy pay. They say that one of their goals is to  “to make other people aware of the lack of any legal requirement to pay reasonable redundancy pay.”

It is true that most employees in New Zealand have zero entitlement to redundancy pay. We think this is wrong as a redundancy is usually a huge loss. Employees need and deserve monetary compensation to help them get back on their feet, however, the reality is that widespread redundancy compensation is not likely. What can an employee do? Firstly, if you are considering a job offer, try to negotiate an employment agreement that includes a redundancy package. Secondly, if you are being made redundant and have no redundancy payment coming to you – don’t necessarily accept no for an answer. Many redundancies are handled badly and this opens the door for a personal grievance and compensation. If you would like to discuss your situation, please call or email for a confidential, no obligation, discussion.