Is a 15-Minute Redundancy Consultation Legal?
One short meeting and a decision already made. Here is what consultation is actually supposed to involve.
← Back to Blog · Employment · Published 8 September 2026 · Directed and published by Matt Thompson, founder of UK Work Rights
This is free rights guidance, not legal advice. Every statutory figure here is checked against a primary source — see our Editorial & Verification Policy.
There is no minimum length — but that is not the point
No law says a consultation meeting must last a set number of minutes. So a 15-minute meeting is not automatically unlawful. What matters is whether genuine consultation happened, and a single short meeting where the outcome was already decided usually fails that test.
The legal idea is consultation "with a view to reaching agreement", at a stage when the proposal can still be influenced. If the decision was made before you walked in, it was an announcement, not a consultation.
What genuine individual consultation looks like
- You are told you are at risk, and why.
- You are told the selection criteria and how you scored against them.
- You get a real opportunity to challenge your scores and put forward alternatives.
- Suitable alternative employment is genuinely considered.
- There is normally more than one meeting, with time in between to think and respond.
- You get a right of appeal.
One 15-minute meeting rarely accommodates all of that. Where it does not, the dismissal may be procedurally unfair even if the redundancy situation itself was genuine.
Collective consultation: the thresholds and the timings
Where 20 or more employees at one establishment are proposed for dismissal within a 90-day period, collective consultation duties apply. The minimum periods are 30 days for 20–99 employees and 45 days for 100 or more, and consultation must start in good time before the first dismissal takes effect.
That consultation is with representatives — a recognised trade union or elected employee representatives — and it must cover ways of avoiding the dismissals, reducing the numbers, and mitigating the consequences.
The protective award doubled in April 2026
If an employer fails to consult collectively when it should have, a tribunal can make a protective award. From 6 April 2026 the maximum increased from 90 days to 180 days' gross pay per affected employee.
This is calculated on gross pay and is not subject to the statutory weekly cap that limits statutory redundancy pay. It is a penalty for the failure to consult, and it is awarded whether or not the redundancy itself was justified.
Being told not to tell anyone
Employers sometimes ask people to keep a redundancy process confidential. Be careful with this where 20 or more roles are affected, because it can be a sign that collective consultation obligations are being avoided. Speaking to your union representative is not a breach of confidence in any sense a tribunal would penalise you for.
Time limits
Unfair dismissal: currently 3 months less 1 day from dismissal, becoming 6 months less 1 day for acts on or after 1 October 2026. Protective award claims have their own timing and are usually brought by representatives, though individuals can claim in some circumstances.
ACAS Early Conciliation is mandatory before a tribunal claim and can run up to 12 weeks. Confirm your deadline on 0300 123 1100.
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