Oddly, the liquidation of the company in question was not ordered because of a continuous loss of market but was triggered by a sudden change of an external circumstance.
As a result, the employees were not mentally prepared for the possible termination of their employment. In such cases, the implementation of layoffs requires not only competent legal support but also a compassionate legal service provider who has experience in dealing with such situations and will conduct the negotiations sensitively.
First and foremost, it is necessary to make a list of employees and determine whether it is necessary to maintain particular relationships to serve the later stages of the liquidation process.
Consultations should take place with the interest representation organisations, and care should be taken to ensure that the so-called "52-day rule" deadline is respected.
In addition to the legal obligations, it is also worth informing employees about their future employment opportunities or how to claim unemployment benefits.
In this case, it was also necessary to examine the possibility of temporarily transferring some of the workers within the group through redeployment under Section 53 of the Labour Code. Here, as in all similar cases, careful planning and calm and gentle implementation were important, as any disputes and litigation that might arise could delay the natural course of the liquidation proceedings.
Terminating the employment of managers and protected employees required special attention, just as distinguishing terminations by mutual agreement, depending on which party initiated it.
In the end, this was so achieved that the dismissals, despite the massive number of staff involved, did not result in any litigation or unplanned additional costs for our client.
