Public sector redundency?

Lady007

Please don't thnk that REdundancies are always fair. If a Manager wants to make you Redundant they will. HR make the rules, therefore know how to break them without you being any the wiser.

Read your contracts and policies over and over again. If they are not abiding by them challenge them straight away.

Now adays they will not ask for volunteers first as normally the longest serving employees will take up the offer knowing they will be going with a tidy lump sum and pension. The Public sector can not afford to pay so won't take up the offers. Also sometimes they can't afford to lose the knowledge gained by these employees over the years. It can be engineered for 3 or 4 people to be made Redundant in place of one person, and still not pay out as much money it would have cost for that one person.

Andy_L

Apolonation wrote: »

What does pension rights are preserved mean? Sorry for being a bit dense - say you're 35 and get made redundent and only been working with the dept for 1 year, what happens to your pension contributions you've been paying in every month?

The pension you have accrued is "preserved" until you reach retirement age (ie 25-30 years in your example), then increased by the cumulative inflation over those years and paid to you as normal.

If you leave with, typically, <2 years you can/must get a refund but it is just of your contributions less the tax relief & the NI reductions

FATBALLZ

exil wrote: »

They have to do it on some logical and fair basis, ie oldest first, or last in first out.

Both of those criteria are not legal, the criteria must be objective and non-discrimanatory. The criteria you mentioned are blatently ageist.

Generally criteria should be based on work performance, skills, qualifications, attendence, that sort of thing.

exil

http://www.redundancyhelp.co.uk/LegFair.htm

Actually I should have said "length of service" not "age" but it amounts to much the same thing. In companies with a final salary scheme people in their 50s or 60s are in effect being forced to retire early but can at least claim a pension not available to their younger colleagues, and selecting people with longest service makes some sense.

Last in first out is certainly legitimate.

They can, as stated above, use skills/qualifications/performance etc but they actually (except perhaps attendance) are "subjective" and subject to abuse, ie the manager may just select you because he/she doesn't like you so would be more subject to challenge in a tribunal.

Redundancy isn't the same as sacking. It's not because your performance, attendance or anything else are not good enough, it's because the need for your job has disappeared.

dzug1

Apolonation wrote: »

Has there ever been any forced redundency in Public sector?

The simple answer is yes, both now and in the past - it's always happened. It's a myth to think it doesn't

eamon

And they do it in such a nice way. My previous job was "restructured out of the staffing plan". Not nice!

Apolonation

Did the offer you any other posts? or just show you the door?

jazzyman01

I think you will find that using length of service and last in first out will also get you into trouble as it would potentially favour older employees.
A recent case with the unions did, however, allow the use of length of service when all other selection criteria are equal.

iamana1ias

Apolonation wrote: »

Has there ever been any forced redundency in Public sector?

Given what's going on with economy etc... what's the odds of some government either current or some conservative government using forced redundencies to save public expense?

If that happens - do the people getting made redundent get any 'payoff' or are they just shown the door after x amount of months?

Interested to hear what people that know about redundencies think about this!

It's redundancy.

dickydonkin

Please don't thnk that REdundancies are always fair. If a Manager wants to make you Redundant they will. HR make the rules, therefore know how to break them without you being any the wiser.

Managers do not make the rules. There are legal requirements that have to be adhered to by company's implementing redundancies. Ignore them and they run the risk of redress at tribunal.

Now adays they will not ask for volunteers first as normally the longest serving employees will take up the offer knowing they will be going with a tidy lump sum and pension.

It is advisable for employers to attempt to avoid/mitigate the consequenses of redundancies. Asking for volunteers is one method to show that such an effort was made. Of course, the company do not have to accept voluntary redundancies as they may need to retain a skill base, however, by at least asking, it is potentially one less reason to take a company to tribunal.

It can be engineered for 3 or 4 people to be made Redundant in place of one person, and still not pay out as much money it would have cost for that one person.

Risky strategy!