7(1)The dismissal of an employee by way of a lock-out (whether the lock-out extends to all the employees of the employer or only to some of them, and whether the dismissal occurs at the beginning of the lock-out or during the course of it) shall not be regarded as unfair if the employee is offered re-engagement as from the date of resumption of work.
(2)Where an employee who has been so dismissed, and has not been offered re-engagement as from the date of resumption of work, claims that he was unfairly dismissed by his employer, the provisions of paragraph 6 above shall apply as if in that paragraph, for any reference to the reason or principal reason for which the employee was dismissed by his employer, there were substituted a reference to the reason or principal reason for which he was not offered re-engagement as from that date.
(3)In this paragraph any reference to an offer of re-engagement, in relation to an employee, is a reference to an offer (made either by the original employer or by a successor of that employer or by an associated employer) to re-engage that employee, either in the position which he held immediately before the effective date of termination or in a different position which would be reasonably suitable to him.
(4)In this paragraph—
(a)" the date of resumption of work " means the date as from which, at or after the termination of the lock-out, the other comparable employees of the original employer, or a majority of those employees, were offered re-engagement, and
(b)" the original employer ", in relation to an employee, means the employer who dismissed him ;
and in this sub-paragraph " comparable employees ", in relation to an employee, means such of the employees of the original employer to whom the lock-out extended as, immediately before the effective date of termination, held positions similar to that held by that employee.