As a local firm we are aware that this is a difficult time for many employees of SSE, based at its head office in Perth. Many have been or shall be offered voluntary redundancy packages and are facing important important decisions as to whether those should be accepted.
For those who think they may wish to accept what is being offered to them, that is not legally binding until they have received advice on their options and the package they are being offered by an independent solicitor and signed a legal document called a Settlement Agreement. Furthermore, the solicitor who provides that advice must then sign an Adviser's Certificate to confirm that.
SSE Redundancy & UK Employment Law
This is an important protection under UK Employment Law to make sure that when such an agreement is signed, the employee knows exactly what they are doing and that the offer being made to them is the same or more than they are legally entitled to.
As a consequence of that the employer will usually - and in our experience SSE will always - pay a reasonable amount to meet the employee's legal fees in getting that advice and assistance from the solicitor of their choosing.
At Macnabs, as a trusted local firm in Perth our Employment Law team assists with a number of Settlement Agreements every year for clients who are SSE employees. We are familiar with the different versions of their Settlement Agreements, which means two important things for clients who consult us about them:
- a) We know what the standard terms are and so can quickly advise clients of those aspects that may be different in the Settlement Agreement they are provided with making the process as quick and painless as possible; and
- b) We know the amount that they normally provide for in relation to legal fees - which lets us promise anyone who consults us regarding an SSE Settlement Agreement that they will not have to pay any money themselves towards their legal costs.
There is always the possibility that after a client has spoken to one of our Employment Law solicitors that they decide that they do not want to accept the proposal and so they do not sign the Settlement Agreement. That is the whole point of getting independent legal advice - so employees can make an informed decision. We don't want clients feeling that they have to sign the Settlement Agreement or they are going to have to pay money to us. So to make sure that clients can consult with our Employment Law solicitors without fear of the cost to them if they decide not to go ahead, we will not charge a fee if you decide not to sign.
You really don't have anything to lose by consulting us.
Remote Employment Law Consultation via Zoom
Finally, to make it as easy as possible to access our help at this difficult time we are able to provide our services entirely remotely - you don't even need to come to our office. Macnabs pioneered home working in Perthshire for all of our staff and partners in order to ensure not just their safety but that of our clients when Covid19 first struck in Scotland. In particular our Employment Law team set up a system to get around the problems of signing Settlement Agreements during lockdown and our Employment Law team have dealt with several since lockdown began without meeting clients face to face - and without any problems.
Contact us Today
So if you are an SSE employee who has been offered voluntary redundancy, perhaps haven't but are thinking about asking for that, or are just worried that your job is at risk please contact the head of our Employment Law team Jane McNicol either by emailing her at janemcnicol@macnabs-law.co.uk or calling reception on 01738 623432. If you want to check out Jane and her team before getting in touch please follow this link where you can read about the team and some helpful articles that the team have been posting over Lockdown on Employment Law matters.
