Collective redundancy consultations to halve to 45 days

The new timescale will apply to redundancies involving 100 or more employees. Employment relations minister Jo Swinson also announced that Acas will produce non-statutory guidance to "help improve the quality" of consultations and help employers to manage the process as fairly as possible. The change is part of the coalition's ongoing review of employment law, which started in 2010. Tim Thomas, head of employment and skills at EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, welcomed the announcement as a strong signal to industry of the government's commitment to creating a flexible labour market. He said: "The government has taken a further step to creating a modern, consultation system based on the quality, not the length of, the process. "It now needs to complete the package by introducing simpler settlement agreements and protected conversations that provider a better base for discussing and managing change in the workplace."