A recent English law case has highlighted an issue relevant to
those involved in Channel Islands-related insolvencies – and
particularly to insolvency practitioners
("IPs") who take on appointments as
administrators – about the interplay between insolvency
legislation and employment law.
Although the underlying UK statutes are not directly relevant to
practitioners in Jersey and Guernsey, it is a good reminder that a
number of different employment law issues can arise where
insolvency practitioners are appointed in respect of trading
companies and have to take decisions about potential
redundancies.
The risks are not abstract – procedural mistakes in the
management of redundancy exercises can lead to liabilities not just
for the company but also for the insolvency officeholders on a
personal basis.
Guernsey and Jersey employment law are highly specialised areas of
practise and insolvency practitioners would be well advised to seek
early employment law advice, in addition to advice on insolvency
law, to avoid making similar mistakes.
The English case
In summary, the English case R (on the application of
Palmer) v Northern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court [2021] EWHC
3013 held that an insolvency practitioner acting as an
administrator of a company can be found criminally liable under
English employment law for failing to notify the UK government
about proposed redundancies.
The IP had taken on the appointment in respect of West Coast
Capital, which went into administration on 13 January 2015. The
following day he had issued 84 factory employees with a letter
informing them that they were at risk of redundancy, followed 15
minutes later for a further letter dismissing them with immediate
effect.
The required statutory notification that employees were at risk of
redundancy was not issued to the Secretary of State until 4
February.
Criminal charges in respect of the failure to notify were brought,
and the IP was convicted at the Magistrate's Court. He is
currently seeking to appeal against his conviction at the Supreme
Court.
The case creates a potential conflict of interest for IPs between
their role to secure the best outcome for creditors and their own
interests in not breaking the law.
English law requires that potential redundancies of more than 20
people are notified to the government at least 30 days before any
redundancies take effect. At the same time, the law provides that
any contract of employment not terminated within 14 days of an
administrator's appointment will be taken to be
"adopted" by the administrator.
If an administrator waited the required 30 days, the
"adopted" employees would rank ahead of other creditors
– this could be avoided by putting the company into
liquidation, but doing so would prevent the company being sold as a
going concern (which may be in the interests of creditors).
The position in Jersey and Guernsey
The particular circumstances of the case would not be repeated in
Jersey or Guernsey. There are no collective consultation
requirements in Guernsey, and consequently there is no equivalent
requirement to notify the authorities.
In Jersey there are collective consultation requirements where 12
or more employees will be made redundant in a 30 day period, and
the Minister for Social Security ("the
Minister") should usually be notified of any
collective redundancies before notice is given to the employees or
at least 30 days before any dismissals take effect. However, if
that deadline cannot be met the employer must notify the Minister
as soon as possible. Importantly, there is no corresponding
sanction for failing to notify the Minister about potential
redundancies.
There are however other potential employment law pitfalls for IPs,
including:
- Failing to follow any form of redundancy process could lead to unfair dismissal claims from the employees. Depending on their length of service, this could increase the liabilities of the company by up to 6 months per employee.
- In Jersey, failing to follow a collective consultation process can increase the liabilities of the company by up to an additional 9 weeks per employee.
- Should a scenario arise where some employees are to be retained or there may be alternative roles in any group companies there may also be discrimination risks that IPs will need to carefully consider in each jurisdiction given the different protected grounds and remedies available; and
- Employees may have priority claims, and these are different across each Island. IPs will need to make sure they deal with these priorities appropriately.
The implications of those pitfalls should be troubling for IPs
– there are risks not just to the assets available for
distribution, but also the danger of personal liability for IPs. If
an IP increases the liability for the companies by failing to
follow the correct redundancy process, they could personally be
subject to claims by affected creditors.
Our Insolvency & Dispute Resolution group in Jersey and
Guernsey was recently advising on a major local insolvency, and
worked closely with our pan-Island Employment law team on issues
relating to redundancies in Guernsey and Jersey, including
notification, and the operation of redundancy exercises across both
Islands. As markets harden there is an expectation that trading
business insolvencies may increase. Walkers' industry-focused
expertise can prove vital in navigating the potential pitfalls and
the risks of officeholder liability.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.