Separation pay

Dear PAO,

I was placed on a temporary layoff by my employer from June 2020 to December 2020. Yesterday, I received a notice that our employment will be finally terminated because of retrenchment. However, such notice also provides that those who applied for work elsewhere during the layoff period but prior to the retrenchment are not qualified for separation pay. I am worried that I might not qualify as one of those employees who are entitled to separation pay since I applied and was, in fact, employed elsewhere without formally notifying my previous employer. With these circumstances, I want to know if my previous employer has the legal right to deny me my separation pay?