Query about voluntary redundancy offer

paulneptune

Hi,

My mother who is 61 years of age has been given a soft quote for voluntary redundancy. She has worked for the company for 22 years and has been offered £17000. This is above the statutory legal requirement.

My query is that a number of her colleagues (male, and on the same pay rate) who are roughly 15 to 20 years younger than her, with a considerable amount less service, have been offered between £29K and £40k. Can this be legally justified? Is this normal practice?

I can't help but think she's being discriminated against due to her age (she is still fit but just beyond retirement age). Am i correct in thinking this?

Many thanks

Paul

SarEl

Nobody could say without knowing the full terms of the redundancy package. It isn't automatically unfair in law because it depends on the terms being offered. There are many reasons why a package for younger staff may be more - the package may include pension credits or top ups which she isn't entitled to, for example.