Help - Potential unfair dismissal/Redundancy

Curlycrystal

In desperate need of advice and not sure where to turn....

Over the past 2 years a senior member of staff has shown that is more interested in me than a work colleague...I have ignored is advances as he is senior and also married. I am not an innocent party, I have flirted to some extent but this was only for a brief period as I am attracted to him and has been v difficult. He realises this which is why he continued.. (this is a long story....)

Six months ago, redundancies came on the horizon and my manager (who works closely with senior MM and also tried to bring us together lets say) has started to be quite nasty at times towards me and indicated that he might want to have words with me in the office...It has never happened and there has been no explanation as to why he is acting like this (he is protecting himself surround and sexual harrassment suit, I think).

In January, one of the women in the office requested voluntary redundancy and she passed on her role to me to train up on. I realised that work was dropping off and it was another string to my bow. At this stage I expected my role to be 50% my job and 50% her job. This was never discussed at all with my boss. A few weeks after she left he checked to see if everything was ok and said we should review the role in mid April. This has not yet happened.

Voluntary redundancies are ongoing at the moment with the potential of compulsory redundancies in October. Appraisals are due shortly and have not taken place for quite some time and I sense I may be marked down on performance as they may think that I looking to take them on the grounds of Sexual Harrassment - which I am not although probably would have grounds to. MM has not spoke to me for 6 months, which is not helping me professionally...work is overall going downhill and I feel unhappy. I worked here for 8 years and feel really stuck.

I am in the union but the union rep works in our department and his day job works closely with MM and my boss which could affect is judgement and so feel I need to tread carefully.

In the meantime the original 50% role that was handed over to me from the lady that took voluntary they have indicated that the role is a lesser grade then what she handed over to me and from when she left the workload has increased to 80% - my role is running at maybe 20% will be handed over to others or completed soon. Still no discussion regarding terms, role, objectives etc

The question is here, my role appears to be redundant, can I request compulsory redundancy as my role has disappeared and nothing as been agreed since the role was passed over from VR at the beginning of Feb?

If I stay until October I can only see it getting worse and no one to turn to. CR guarantees my mortgage, VR doesn't.

There is more to the story, but in a nutshell this is it.

Advice is most appreciated.

Cheers

Curly

Debt_Free_Chick

Curlycrystal wrote: »

The question is here, my role appears to be redundant,

It's difficult for anyone here to confirm this. You say you only spend 20% on your old role, but has it really disappeared? The company can continue to function without that work being done?

can I request compulsory redundancy as my role has disappeared and nothing as been agreed since the role was passed over from VR at the beginning of Feb?

No - you cannot request compulsory redundancy. It's down to the employer to determine whether or not the role is still needed.

Although you may not have formally agreed to do the new role, there is no question that you have been doing it, so neither you nor the company can now claim that you haven't been doing it.

Keep your head down; do your work; and make an effort to deal with your manager in a professional way. If he behaves in a way that is unacceptable then - ideally - you would have a quiet, calm word with him and explain what is unacceptable and ask him to, please, desist.

It's pretty near impossible to make yourself redundant and you are more likely to give the company grounds to dismiss you.

Good luck

Curlycrystal

Thanks for the advice. I will use it and see how it goes...who knows it could get better

Curly