Redundancy: Some Insights from Overseas Experience

Abstract

Based on a survey of British, European and American experience, a range of questions are canvassed concerning desirable approaches to the redundancy problem. In particular, there are discussions of the strengths and weaknesses of attempts to avoid worker redundancy when jobs become superfluous, of the pros and cons of advance notice and of incentives introduced by traditional Australian severence pay based upon length of service. Length-of-service compensation for redundancy is criticised on the basis of its implications for national manpower policy and on equity grounds.