Periods of consultation

Terms and conditions can be changed with the employees' consent, or if this is not forthcoming, the employer has the option of dismissing the employees and re-engaging them on new contracts with new terms and conditions. If proposing to dismiss and re-engage a workforce of 20 or more employees, the employer should carry out a collective consultation either with representatives from the recognised union, or if there is no union, with employee representatives, elected through the ballot process if necessary. For a workforce of between 20 and 99 staff, the consultation period is 30 days, whereas a workforce of 100 or more requires a 90-day consultation period.