I can feel the noose tightening around my neck already!Becky's advice seems the best route to take Thanks again!

Thanks for your help guys, the agreements were all done verbally-nothing in writing, should I decide to go the redundancy route would I have to take into consideration the years that he worked for the practice before I bought it as well? Or just for the time he worked when i took over?

Hi, perhaps someone can help me here, I am at my wits end. You always hear about employers mistreating employees, but what about the reverse scenario? I took over a homeopathy practice a while ago, the owner suggested that I keep the practice manager/nurse as he was familiar with the running of the business and the patients and I agreed. The business has not done well, losing money and I decided to put it up for sale. I informed the practice manager that I could no longer keep him on, he said he would not leave until he found another job. Just before Christmas I asked him if he had found anything, he said he had not but was still looking. I had not drawn up a new contract with him,he was still under the old contract signed by his previous owner. Despite informing him that I do not have the work to keep him on, he will not leave. I do not need a full time , and cannot afford to pay him the same salary with the same hours as he had before. I had to cut down the hours, and also the salary. He has written to me that if he continues to work for me it will be 'under protest' until things are resolved regarding his salary.I feel like this is a veiled threat. The original contract states notice is to be 4 working weeks. Now, do I just give him notice as per the contract, or do I have to accept him continuing to work for me until he finds another job?