Working parents | Claims that pandemic redundancies are unfair

One in six UK workers who were made redundant in the last year believe they were unfairly selected for being a parent, new research has found.

The study, which was commissioned by employment law specialists Slater and Gordon, found that a further one in ten believe that they were targeted for being pregnant, or because bosses thought they intended to start a family.

While the law firm noted that these are all unlawful reasons to select an employee for redundancy, a shocking 33% noted that bosses ‘shamelessly confirmed’ that their status as a parent was the driving factor in the decision to make them redundant.

Under the 2010 Equality Act, dismissing a worker based on a protected characteristic, such as being pregnant, age, race or sex, is considered discrimination.