redundancyre‧dun‧dan‧cy /rɪˈdʌndənsi/ noun (plural redundancies) 
The closure of the export department resulted in over 100 redundancies. Two thousand workers now face redundancy. An employee is not eligible for a redundancy payment unless he has been with the company for two years.voluntary/compulsory redundancy We were offered a £3,000 cash bonus to take voluntary redundancy.2[uncountable] when something is not used because something similar or the same already existsCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake redundancies· The company is to make 1,400 redundancies.face redundancy· Up to 300 leather factory workers are facing redundancy.take/accept redundancy· Twenty staff members took voluntary redundancy.volunteer for redundancy (=offer to take redundancy)· Nearly 40% of the workforce volunteered for redundancy.adjectivescompulsory redundancies (=when workers are forced to be redundant)· He promised there would be no compulsory redundancies.voluntary redundancies (=done willingly, without being forced)· Wherever possible the cuts will be achieved by voluntary redundancies.mass/large-scale redundancies· The company is preparing large-scale redundancies at its British factories.redundancy + NOUNredundancy money/pay· He spent his redundancy money on a plot of land.a redundancy payment· He was not entitled to a redundancy payment.redundancy terms (=the conditions of a redundancy agreement, for example how much money someone will receive)· Some staff had chosen to go because the voluntary redundancy terms were attractive.a redundancy package (=a set of things offered to someone who is being made redundant)· The trade union negotiated a generous redundancy package for its members.a redundancy notice (=a printed statement telling a worker that they are being made redundant)· 1,100 of the bank's 1,260 staff in the UK were given redundancy notices.phrasesa round of redundancies (=one set of redundancies in a series)· The industry has announced a new round of redundancies.a wave of redundancies (=a sudden increase in the number of redundancies)· The latest wave of redundancies resulted in 4,000 job cuts.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The board are planning a restructuring which could mean hundreds of redundancies.
- These redundancies are necessary for the company to be able to survive.
- We hope to achieve staffing cuts through voluntary redundancy and a freeze on recruitment.
- All employers used to receive a rebate of 35 percent of their redundancy bill from the Redundancy Fund.
- He says it won't become clear until there's a new owner but there may be redundancies.
- Make sure you have arranged mortgage Protection Cover and, if possible, insure yourself against sickness, redundancy or accident.
- The staff are being offered the choice of moving or taking redundancy.
- This redundancy extends to the number zero itself, which can be written 000 or 00 just as well as 0.
- Voluntary redundancies and natural wastage are expected instead of sackings.
Longman Language Activatorwhen someone is forced to leave their job
· After she lost her job, she got more and more depressed and started drinking heavily.· Many people won't complain about pay and conditions because they're terrified of losing their jobs.
also dismiss formal to make someone leave their job, especially because they have done something wrong: · He was just impossible to work with, and in the end they fired him.· Harris was caught stealing, and was dismissed immediately.· You're fired!fire/dismiss somebody for something: · She was fired for serious professional misconduct.fire from: · When Max was fired from his job the whole family had to pack up and leave town.· A New York art teacher who refused to take part in the daily flag ceremony was dismissed from her post.
British to make someone leave their job, for example, because they are not good enough at it, they are no longer needed, or they have done something wrong: · We can't really give him the sack just because he's unpopular.sack somebody for something: · He was sacked for being drunk in the office.get the sack (=be sacked): · He had the good luck to work in an old family firm when nobody ever got the sack.
to make workers, especially workers in a large factory or organization, leave their jobs, because there is not enough work for them to do, or not enough money to pay their wages: lay off somebody/lay somebody off: · 3000 car workers have been laid off at the factory in Cleveland.
British to make someone leave their job, and usually pay them some money to do so, because they are no longer needed: · At least 2,000 computer programmers have been made redundant in the past year.· We lost our home when my husband was made redundant five years ago.
British a situation in which someone has to leave their job, and is usually paid some money to do so, because they are no longer needed by their company: · These redundancies are necessary for the company to be able to survive.· The board are planning a restructuring which could mean hundreds of redundancies.voluntary redundancy (=when a company asks workers if they want to leave their jobs, and offers to pay them money to do so): · We hope to achieve staffing cuts through voluntary redundancy and a freeze on recruitment.
to make someone leave a job or organization temporarily, either as a punishment for doing something wrong, or while the organization tries to find out whether they have done something wrong or not: · Two senior officials have been suspended on full pay pending a second internal inquiry.suspend from: · The Police Department has suspended six officers from duty while they investigate claims of fraud and corruption.
to tell someone that they must leave their job, either immediately or in a week, a month etc: · The company are planning to close down, and we've all been given two weeks' notice.· In the course of restructuring, over half the workforce were given their notice.
if someone with an important official job is relieved of their duties or post , their job is taken away from them, especially for a short time because people think they have done something very bad and this is being checked: · The Chief Inspector has been relieved of his duties pending another investigation by fellow officers.· The authorities have decided to relieve the professor of his post at the university until further notice, after complaints were made by one of his female students.
WORD SETSabsenteeism, nounarticled clerk, black economy, nounbloodletting, nounblue-collar, adjectivebook-keeper, nounboss, nounbusiness agent, career path, nouncareer structure, nounCFO, Chartered Financial Consultant, nounCIO, co-manager, nouncommercial agent, company car, nouncompany doctor, company officer, competence, nouncompliance officer, co-worker, nouncreative director, curriculum vitae, nounCV, noundeputy chairman, deskill, verbdismiss, verbdowngrade, verbdownsize, verbearn, verbearner, nounemploy, verbemployable, adjectiveemployee, nounemployer, nounemployment agency, nounengage, verbenrolled agent, escrow agent, executive chairman, filing clerk, fill-in, nounfull-time, adjectiveheadhunter, nounhealth and safety, nounhuman resources, nounjob application, job centre, nounjobless, adjectivelabour exchange, nounledger clerk, moonlight, verbnatural wastage, nounnepotism, nounnetworking, nounnine to five, adverbnumber-cruncher, nounoccupational, adjectiveoff, adverboff-duty, adjectiveoperative, nounoutwork, nounoverseer, nounoverstaffed, adjectivepenalty clause, nounpension fund, nounpension plan, nounpersonnel, nounpiecework, nounpositive discrimination, nounpost, nounpreferment, nounproject engineer, qualification, nounqualify, verbquit, verbrecommendation, nounrecruit, verbredeploy, verbredundancy, nounredundant, adjectivereferee, nounreference, nounreinstate, verbresearch manager, resign, verbresignation, nounresume, nounretired, adjectiveretiree, nounretirement, nounself-employed, adjectivesharecropper, nounshift, nounskilled, adjectivetechnical analyst, testimonial, nountime and motion study, nountrainee, nountransfer agent, underemployed, adjectiveundermanned, adjectiveunderstaffed, adjectiveunemployable, adjectiveunemployed, adjectiveunemployment, noununemployment benefit, noununskilled, adjectivevacancy, nounvacant, adjectivewhite-collar, adjectiveworkday, nounwork experience, nounworkforce, nounworking papers, nounworkweek, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs the threat of compulsory redundancies
1[countable, uncountable] British English a situation in which someone has to leave their job, because they are no longer needed SYN layoff: · The company is to make 1,400 redundancies.
· Up to 300 leather factory workers are facing redundancy.
· Twenty staff members took voluntary redundancy.
(=offer to take redundancy)· Nearly 40% of the workforce volunteered for redundancy.
adjectives (=when workers are forced to be redundant)· He promised there would be no compulsory redundancies.
(=done willingly, without being forced)· Wherever possible the cuts will be achieved by voluntary redundancies.
· The company is preparing large-scale redundancies at its British factories.
redundancy + NOUN· He spent his redundancy money on a plot of land.
· He was not entitled to a redundancy payment.
(=the conditions of a redundancy agreement, for example how much money someone will receive)· Some staff had chosen to go because the voluntary redundancy terms were attractive.
(=a set of things offered to someone who is being made redundant)· The trade union negotiated a generous redundancy package for its members.
(=a printed statement telling a worker that they are being made redundant)· 1,100 of the bank's 1,260 staff in the UK were given redundancy notices.
phrases (=one set of redundancies in a series)· The industry has announced a new round of redundancies.
(=a sudden increase in the number of redundancies)· The latest wave of redundancies resulted in 4,000 job cuts.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES the threat of compulsory redundancies British English, severance pay American English (=pay when there is no longer a job for you)· We invested our redundancy pay in a new business venture.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· The bulk of the jobs will go next year, and the company is promising there will be no compulsory redundancies.· Hugh was at the Milton sit-in, where the workers won a fight to stop compulsory redundancies but lost the war.· The foremen, members of the white-collar Manufacturing Science and Finance union, were protesting over the threat of compulsory redundancies.· They are among 1,500 staff of the bank who are facing compulsory redundancy.· Read in studio Management say any compulsory redundancies will be announced later.· And there would be no more compulsory redundancies.· The ballot came as a result of threats of compulsory redundancies.· Labour moderates win over four of the hard left by agreeing that the cuts shall involve as few compulsory redundancies as possible.
· These figures highlight the low level of statutory minimum redundancy payments for both men and women.· Furthermore, a statutory redundancy payment will be offset against the basic award.· There would have been no more than the statutory redundancies.· The scheme was subsidised by the taxpayer in the granting to employers of a sizeable rebate on each statutory redundancy payment made.· The Secretary of State maintained that because of section 82 the applicant was not entitled to a statutory redundancy payment.· As a result, a volunteer remains entitled to his statutory right to redundancy pay.· Thus, Crown servants are not entitled to statutory redundancy payments, but most have the right not to be unfairly dismissed.· The qualifying period for the right to statutory redundancy pay is two years.
· Early retirement and voluntary redundancy schemes often result in the loss of some of the best people.· Some 31,700 took voluntary redundancy and a further 5,400 disappeared as the result of disposals.· Unemployment due to resignation or voluntary redundancy.· Voluntary Redundancy A topic of interest to many companies at present is voluntary redundancy.· Most of the jobs will disappear through hiving off divisions and seeking voluntary redundancies.· Jack was offered voluntary redundancy in late August and it was confirmed that there was suitable accommodation at the Kings Lodge base.· Ford wants to shed more than 1,400 jobs through voluntary redundancy, but Mr Adams said there were unlikely to be enough volunteers.· Marconi wants to slash 4,000 more jobs, on top of the 4,000 through voluntary redundancy since April.
NOUN· Profits still tumbled from £68m to £33m but that includes £8m of redundancy costs.· However, reorganisation provisions necessarily include provisions for operating costs, such as redundancy costs and administrative expenses.
· Quite unaware that he had a month's redundancy money coming, Cornelius finished his breakfast.· They paid for the holiday out of her redundancy money.· Dryden spent his £13,000 redundancy money on the plot of land where he illegally built the bungalow.· He got his redundancy money but heard nothing about his pension.· Even if it took every penny of his redundancy money.· Another warning - don't be tempted to blow all your redundancy money.· The redundancy money would be quite a bit but that was not the same as having a wage coming in.· The bank provided him with £40,000 which, coupled with his redundancy money, provided the £70,000 he needed to get started.
· A picket was organised last week after receivers Robson Rhodes refused to withdraw redundancy notices issued to 67 staff.· The new contracts would also abolish the current 12-month redundancy notice.· If there are not enough volunteers, the company has warned, compulsory redundancy notices will be issued.
· If the redundancy package is too generous many staff will opt for that and not even consider relocating.· Seven centres will close as part of a nationwide redundancy package, with the loss of 1,000 jobs.· Similarly the redundancy package was geared to match the relocation package so that staff would not base their decision on financial matters.· Those unable to transfer will be offered a redundancy package and career counselling.
· The tribunal ruled that all three women were entitled to redundancy pay.· Thus the absence does not reduce accrued rights to redundancy pay or to notice entitlement.· If Sandie does not want it she will still get redundancy pay.· The last time I saved any money was my redundancy pay, but that soon went.· His redundancy pay and bar work supported him while he did this.· Some have worked at Bentley pianos for forty years, but they haven't been offered a penny in redundancy pay.· As a result, a volunteer remains entitled to his statutory right to redundancy pay.· The man from Bicester who blew his redundancy pay on a Rolls Royce.
· Money from a redundancy payment should not affect your right to this benefit.· The redundancy payments legislation allows employees a four-week trial period in which to make up their minds.· These figures highlight the low level of statutory minimum redundancy payments for both men and women.· As a result of this change, no statistics are now available on the size of redundancy payments made directly by employers.· The employee may thus bring an unfair dismissal complaint or claim a redundancy payment.· Equally, the right to a redundancy payment is subject to the rules about offers of alternative employment mentioned above.· For an example of how the amount of a redundancy payment is arrived at see case no. 2 outlined below.· She applied to her employer for a redundancy payment but was refused because of lack of funds.
· The company had insisted the last 88 job cuts in a 2,200 redundancy programme had to be found before yesterday's deadline.· It blamed increasing competition and the costs of its redundancy programme.
VERB· Read in studio Defence and Aerospace contractors Smiths Industries have announced another round of redundancies.· Nationwide announced that 300 redundancies will be made when it closes 58 of its 361 estate agency branches.
· He says in some cases workers will have to accept lower wages to avoid redundancies.· A programme of growth would create thousands of jobs and avoid the rail redundancies looming because of pit closures.
· The tribunal ruled that all three women were entitled to redundancy pay.· The Secretary of State maintained that because of section 82 the applicant was not entitled to a statutory redundancy payment.· Thus, Crown servants are not entitled to statutory redundancy payments, but most have the right not to be unfairly dismissed.
· The sale had been postponed in September amid court cases challenging its constitutionality and violent demonstrations by union members facing redundancy.· Jobs threat: Five teachers at York's Lowfield School could face redundancy unless the opted-out school can balance its books.· Time allowed 00:22 Read in studio Sixty workers at a clothing company could face redundancy because the firm is relocating.· They are among 1,500 staff of the bank who are facing compulsory redundancy.· For those who've faced redundancy, it's also restoring their pride in a job well done.· They can not police the place for themselves or teach for themselves, yet 400 teachers face redundancy this year.· They were told also that half of them would face redundancy.· Thirty five nurses are also facing redundancy.
· In mid-1981 Virgin was doing badly; the company had made redundancies and the roster was being cut back.· Because of low export sales, Jaguar is to make a further 700 redundancies.· It hopes to make the redundancies voluntary.· Swan Hunter is to make 1,400 redundancies because the company has been unable to find any new contracts.· Yarrow Shipbuilders is to make 510 redundancies in its ship outfitting division.· Non-redundancy dismissals By no means every dismissal occasioned by the need to restructure the business or to make economies is due to redundancy.
· However, women receive lower redundancy payments than men and a larger proportion of them are ineligible for payments altogether.· Everyone will, as per standing Union agreements, receive outplacement counselling, redundancy payments.· More than two-thirds of those aged 60 or over when interviewed had received a redundancy payment of £3,000 or more.
· Some 31,700 took voluntary redundancy and a further 5,400 disappeared as the result of disposals.· Management won and this official himself took redundancy in November 1986.· The staff are being offered the choice of moving or taking redundancy.· He could take the redundancy money and put it in a separate account!· They feel threatened by the two alternative prospects - move or take redundancy.
The closure of the export department resulted in over 100 redundancies. Two thousand workers now face redundancy. An employee is not eligible for a redundancy payment unless he has been with the company for two years.voluntary/compulsory redundancy We were offered a £3,000 cash bonus to take voluntary redundancy.2[uncountable] when something is not used because something similar or the same already existsCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake redundancies· The company is to make 1,400 redundancies.face redundancy· Up to 300 leather factory workers are facing redundancy.take/accept redundancy· Twenty staff members took voluntary redundancy.volunteer for redundancy (=offer to take redundancy)· Nearly 40% of the workforce volunteered for redundancy.adjectivescompulsory redundancies (=when workers are forced to be redundant)· He promised there would be no compulsory redundancies.voluntary redundancies (=done willingly, without being forced)· Wherever possible the cuts will be achieved by voluntary redundancies.mass/large-scale redundancies· The company is preparing large-scale redundancies at its British factories.redundancy + NOUNredundancy money/pay· He spent his redundancy money on a plot of land.a redundancy payment· He was not entitled to a redundancy payment.redundancy terms (=the conditions of a redundancy agreement, for example how much money someone will receive)· Some staff had chosen to go because the voluntary redundancy terms were attractive.a redundancy package (=a set of things offered to someone who is being made redundant)· The trade union negotiated a generous redundancy package for its members.a redundancy notice (=a printed statement telling a worker that they are being made redundant)· 1,100 of the bank's 1,260 staff in the UK were given redundancy notices.phrasesa round of redundancies (=one set of redundancies in a series)· The industry has announced a new round of redundancies.a wave of redundancies (=a sudden increase in the number of redundancies)· The latest wave of redundancies resulted in 4,000 job cuts.