Don't know much about unfair dismissal laws but how about unfair retrenchment laws? Big company swallows up a small company. Small company works efficiently and saves big company lots of money. Big company decides it doesn't want small company any more. Offer those who've been there longest jobs at the bottom (with loss of income resulting), and the rest get retrenched. Big company has lots of other companies who are recruiting, in fact big company is constantly recruiting itself. Any room for the hapless employees of small company? Definitely not. Get out of here, sell your houses, sell your cars, hope your marriages last. Get a new life.