# Can my boss stop me from taking time off to help with the redundancy consultation?

- Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
- Practice area: Employment Law
- Published: 2026-10-29
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Canonical: https://lawasked.com/uk/employment-law/can-my-boss-stop-me-taking-time-off

## Question

I work for a large manufacturing firm in Manchester, England. Over the last fortnight, the company has announced a major restructure that will likely lead to several redundancies across our department. Because of this, I have been chosen as the employee representative to liaise with the management team and help my colleagues through the consultation process. My contract states I am required to be on-site from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. However, to carry out my duties, I need to attend meetings with the directors and occasionally undergo some training to understand the proper procedures for representing the staff. Last Tuesday, I asked my supervisor, Mark, if I could take two hours off during my shift to meet with the union liaison, but he told me that I must use my annual leave for any non-work activities or simply catch up on my tasks after my shift ends. I have already tried explaining that this is part of my new role in the redundancy process, but he insists that my priority is my regular labour on the factory floor. I am unsure if I am legally allowed to take reasonable time away from my scheduled working hours to perform these representative duties or attend necessary training without being penalised or forced to use my holiday entitlement.

## Summary

No, your boss cannot legally force you to use annual leave for these duties. As an employee representative for redundancy consultations, you are entitled to take reasonable time off during your working hours to perform your role or attend necessary training [cite:uk-era-1996-sec61].

## Analysis

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, you have specific protections because of your role in the redundancy process. Because you have been chosen as an employee representative to liaise with management regarding the restructure, you fall under the protections of the law.

Specifically, the law states that an employee representative "is entitled to be permitted by his employer to take reasonable time off during the employee’s working hours in order to perform his functions as such an employee representative or candidate or in order to undergo training to perform such functions" [1]. This means that for your meetings with the union liaison and your training sessions, Mark cannot insist that you use your annual leave (your paid holiday entitlement) or work outside your 8:00 am to 4:30 pm shift. The law defines your working hours as any time you are required to be at work according to your contract [1].

If your employer fails to allow this time off, you have the right to take the matter to an employment tribunal (a specialized court that settles disputes between employers and employees). An employment tribunal can "make a declaration" that the employer failed to follow the law and "may make an award of compensation to be paid to the employee" [2]. This compensation is intended to cover any financial loss you suffered because they denied you the time off [2].

It is important to note that while you are entitled to the time, the law uses the term "reasonable." This means the timing and duration of your requests should be sensible and not unnecessarily disrupt the factory floor operations. Whether the two hours you requested for the union liaison meeting is considered "reasonable" is a matter of fact, but generally, such meetings are standard for representative duties.

## Statutory citations

- Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 61 - Right to time off for employee representatives. [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/61)
  > An employee who is... an employee representative... is entitled to be permitted by his employer to take reasonable time off during the employee’s working hours in order to perform his functions as such an employee representative or candidate or in order to undergo training to perform such functions
- Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 60 - Complaints to employment tribunals . [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/60)
  > An employment tribunal shall not consider a complaint under this section unless it is presented— a before the end of the period of six months beginning with the date when the failure occurred

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