Consultation Process Help

vn108

Hello,

There are 20 of us who have been told that there are going to be job reshuffles with a proposed 5 redundancies.

We will begin the consultation process as soon as representatives have been selected. I may be in the position as one of these reps.

I would appreciate any insight into how this consultation process will pan out and any advice in what I should be looking to find out, in addition to the obvious.

Thanks in advance.

jazzyman01

With that number of potential redundancies there is no legal time length for consultation, although it should be long enough to be "meaningful". Therefore it could be as short as, say, a week.

As the Rep you should be given the following information

What are the business reasons for the redundancies

- Details of the selection criteria that the Company proposes to use
- The date any redundancies will take place
- Details of the redundancy package on offer
- Details of the communication process going forward, ie 121 consultations, how you can communicate to the staff you are representing, access to phone/photocopying facilities etc

As the Rep you will be working with the Company to try and see if there are any ways in which the redundancies can be avoided (whether that is 1 job or all). As a Rep you should talk to all of the potentially affected staff members to get their ideas prior to going into the meeting.

It is a small Company so it is unlikely that you will not be aware of any vacancies, but that is also something that the rep can check.

The Company is likely to determine how often you meet, but I would think it would be 1-2 times a week if it is a short consultation process.

vn108

Thanks for your input jazzyman.

We have been told that the consultation process will be for minimum of 1 month, with the 1st meeting scheduled for next week.

I'll be back for more advice as things pan out I'm sure.

Thanks again!

jazzyman01

You are welcome